I'll Fall With You
by AquaticFox17
Summary: The world had finally managed to confine him to one place, and now it was leaving him behind. Set in the time after BotFA with the occasional memory. Mild romance and gore.
1. Chapter 1 The Battle

_  
_In a world of hate and anger, there was a light._

**This is a story following Kili, Fili, and Thorin from 'The Hobbit.' This is when they get captured by the goblins, only this time, the monsters are much more wicked and cruel than in the book and movies. Hope you enjoy!**

**Also, the butterfly idea is not mine. It's from another fanfiction that I desperately wish I could sight. Sadly, I cannot remember the title nor the author. Sorry!**

***Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters/ plotlines in 'The Hobbit,' this is purely for enjoyment purposes only.**

***Warning! There are mild pain/wound descriptions and fighting in this "book." Tauriel, an elf in the movies- and Kili's love interest- is in this story as well. I have shipped these two in my story. If you are offended by either of these, I suggest you read another story instead.**

**Now, with that out of the way, we shall delve deep into the wonderful- ha, not really- story.**

**I've skipped over several- **_**several**_**\- scenes, including one of my favorites from the movies (where Kili gets shot with the morgul shaft). I'm cruel, I know, but that means that this is several months after the goblins. The- sort of- exact time that this takes place is at the end of the battle, okay? So, Smaug is dead, Tauriel and Kili are in love, Thorin is- in my story- suffering from the gold madness still, and he is now facing off Azog.**

***Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters/ plotlines in 'The Hobbit,' this is purely for enjoyment purposes only.**

***Warning! There is mild torture in this "book." Tauriel, an elf in the movies- and Kili's love interest- is in this story as well. I have shipped these two in my story. If you are offended by either of these, I suggest you read another story instead.**

**Now, with that out of the way, we shall delve deep into the wonderful- ha, not really- story.**

The Battle of the Five Armies

_It had finally managed to confine him to one place, and now it was leaving him behind._

The scene before him was horrific. Swords clashed, yelling sounded, and the sky reflected the color of the ground. Dark red. Still, white snowflakes fell from the sky. Kili couldn't enjoy the calm snowfall, though, not when he heard his uncle's cry. He began to rush to his exigency, but a deep voice echoed behind him.

"If it isn't the dark-haired archer."

He wheeled around to face the creature. It wasn't Azog, but it wasn't just some mindless orc, either. Kili recognized him as Azog's son. A mace dragged across the stone behind him, and Kili's heartbeat quickened. His grasp on his sword tightened as he raised it.

The orc made the first move, and then they were a flurry of parries, stabs, and dodges. Kili ducked, swooping around to the back of the orc as it swung its great mace. He did this on more than one occasion, getting dangerously close to the edge of the rocky outcrop he was standing on. He eyed the orc, trying not to let his fear show in his eyes.

He tried to be ready for the orc's next moves, but he wasn't. They came so fast. First, he swung his mace into Kili's sword hand, and his bone gave way. His weapon clattered, teetering on the edge before falling to the ground below. He didn't hear it hit the ground, for all his strength was straining to keep himself upright.

For a moment, sheer shock enveloped the young prince. He didn't feel anything. Not the cold that had been biting at his skin, nor the pain he knew he should've been feeling from the strike to the arm.

Then, the orc howled to the two facing off on some rocks below. Thorin and Azog. "Thorin!" Both Thorin and his attacker turned to look up at the orc. He grabbed Kili roughly by his injured arm, yanking him closer to the edge. The orc met his father's pleased stare. "Shall I finish him?"

Azog's disgusting smile grew ever the wider. "Not in one swipe." It was a deadly whisper, but it could be heard over the harsh winds and the gore below.

Even from this distance, Kili could see Thorin's eyes grow wide and his uncle stagger. Kili's gaze darted from him to Azog's son, then back again. Until the orc threw him to the ground. He put a large boot on Kili's broken arm, rolling his foot across it and putting all his weight into it. He wanted to see the prince _suffer_.

Kili let out a blood-curdling scream, his vision flashing red and white, then black. Then, all too suddenly, the orc grabbed him by the neck, holding him over the cliff face. He was aware of Thorin's eyes on him, and of Azog's, and Kili swallowed with a grimace.

His uncle would be forced to watch him die.

The orc spent no more time. He tossed Kili over the edge, and the air crashed into him like a blow to the gut. It lasted a millisecond, and then a breathtaking pain blinded him.

Feverishly, Kili reminded himself to breathe.

In… out…

_Just a few more._

In… out…

_Just a couple more breaths. Help will be here soon._

In… out…

_One more, then you can relax._

In… out…

It felt good to not claw for another painstaking breath. It was nice, letting his chest rest still. Until guilt sucked another breath out of him.

_Come on, Kili. I need you to stay strong!_

_Fili? Here?_ Kili, eyes still closed, searched for his brother, but he found no comforting body in the groundless darkness. All his hands managed to grab was air. Cold, cruel air.

And then a jarring pain jolted him back into the world of the living. He grasped for a good hold of his senses before pain overtook him.

Kili kept breathing. He was cursed with a degree of awareness, though his mind seemed to claw and rail against it, seeking an escape from the pain. The sound of the battle did not abate; it ebbed and flowed around him. Lying on the ground, he noticed how it shook, disturbed by the rhythm of battle. He shifted his head to his right, eyes flitting open.

Amongst the blood-stained ground sat a patch of weeds bearing small yellow flowers. Kili tried to concentrate on them; if he could focus on something so small, it might grant his mind the escape he sought. The young dwarf took in how the delicate yellow petals were. They were beautiful to his mind. He recalled taking similar flowers to his mother. Fili laughed and had told him they were ugly weeds, but Dis smelt them and declared them lovely all the same… Beauty was in the eye of the beholder is what she had said.

Kili looked in worthless places and found… Death! Death leaped before his eyes! With a hefty crash, a dwarf dropped down and crushed the delicate flowers. His eyes were wide as they met Kili's. He was not dead yet. Thick red blood ran between his lips. The dwarf made a horrendous gurgling sound, drowning his own life's blood. He was so close, no more than a foot lay between their faces. Had Kili's arm worked, he would reach out to offer some comfort, but the pain like lightning ran up the limb as he twitched his fingers. There was no comfort to be had in this place.

The young dwarf could only watch as the elder struggled to breathe, and eventually, his struggles stopped, and Kili saw the moment death took hold. The dwarf's eyes went suddenly sightless, and then they glazed over, His body went lax. Death had come… _Death was here_… Kili wanted to scream with the horror of it but found he couldn't. He was transfixed by the eyes of the dead dwarf beside him.

They were grey, with pinpoint pupils staring at him- staring _through _him. He couldn't raise an arm to close those eyes. Kili told himself to turn away. He looked up at the grey sky above. Clouds rushed by and gradually gave way to the glint of dawn. It hurt his eyes, but he couldn't shield them. He clenched a fist and turned to his left. A sea of bodies littered the ground, and further away the fighting continued. Behind them, all in the distance loomed the mountain. Erebor. The cause of all this bloodshed, their birthright, their doom. It had set them on this quest, it had turned their uncle mad. And now, it presided over their deaths.

It was almost as painful as it was to look at the sun, so Kili turned back to the right, careful not to roll over his arm. He was met with the vacant stare of his dead friend. Those piercing, sightless eyes held him. It was like looking into the abyss, and even as his heart screamed with horror, Kili couldn't look away from it.

A distant shout drifted in the air. "The eagles are coming!"

This calmed Kili a little bit, and he let a quiet breath escape his parted lips. Then a wave of pain that took him made the world fade to black.

When Kili came to, he licked his dry lips. His throat felt as arid as the desert sands. Pain was the next sensation that slammed into him. Pain and the cold hard ground beneath him. Confusion set in. His eyes flickered open and he jolted at seeing the pale unseeing eyes staring back at him. He was so close; if the dead dwarf still drew breath, Kili was sure he would have felt it.

The stab of fear that assaulted the young dwarf sent his heart racing. It jarred his arm and sent a wave of blood through him. Kili shut his eyes tight, trying to ride it, trying to control it.

When he opened them, he expected to stare into the endless abyss of the dead dwarf's grey eyes. He was surprised to see a butterfly alight on a stalk of grass between them. It was a red admiral, though its bright colors had dulled considerably and its wings were ragged and torn. For a butterfly, it was in quite a sorry state. Winter was no time for a butterfly to be abroad. But to Kili, it was the most beautiful thing he had laid eyes on, save, perhaps, Tauriel.

Butterflies were creatures of the summer; for it to have lasted this long, it must have possessed such strength. Though it was tattered from the unkind season, the butterfly flew strongly. It beat its wings a couple of times. _No… don't leave, don't go… _Kili wanted to watch it a little longer. This small creature gave him comfort; it shielded him from the abyss he found in the cold eyes inches away from his own. Amongst such devastation, how could a small thing of beauty survive?

But butterflies will fly, and so it did, leaving Kili alone to face the void of death. Though the sun was shining brightly now, the young archer felt cold. Gradually, his eyes closed to half-mast. It was so much effort to keep them open. Maybe he could just fade away and let death take him. Kili's eyes would become a glassy void… a mirror to the fallen dwarf beside him.

"Over here! He's here! I found him!"


	2. Chapter 2 The Fighter

**Hi again! I know, that was a fairly short chapter but I hope it was worth it. Today, I present to you two chapters. The last one, and this one. I would also like to credit another publisher for the butterfly idea (I don't remember if I already have and even if I have, I want to again). I do not take any credit for that as it was not my idea.**

***Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters/ plotlines in 'The Hobbit,' this is purely for enjoyment purposes only.**

***Warning! There are mild pain/wound descriptions in this "book." Tauriel, an elf in the movies- and Kili's love interest- is in this story as well. I have shipped these two in my story. If you are offended by either of these, I suggest you read another story instead.**

**Now, with that out of the way, we shall delve deep into the wonderful- ha, not really- story.**

The Fighter

Kili faded in and out of consciousness. He struggled to breathe, and once again, he found him coaxing himself to do so.

_Just breathe._

Inhale… exhale…

_There you go._

"He's in critical condition. I'm surprised he survived as long as he did…"

Inhale… exhale…

_There. Don't listen to them. You'll be fine._

"I'll inform his next of kin. They'll want to say goodbye."

Inhale… exhale…

_Everything's alright. Just a few more breaths… there you go. You've got it._

Then a warm hand was pressed to his forehead, making him reel. Kili's eyes flashed open, despite being exhausted. They darted around the room. It was one of the tents, the white flap of an entrance was pulled back to let fresh air in. His eyes landed on Oin, who was sitting on a stool beside Kili's cot with an affection in his eyes that Kili hadn't seen before.

He tried to speak, but only a dry squeak came out of his throat. He closed his mouth, swallowed, then tried again. "Oin…" was all he managed to get out.

The healer smiled softly, taking Kili's good hand in his. "I'm here lad. Thorin is coming, too." Kili, however drowsy and delirious, noticed that Oin had not mentioned his brother.

"Fili?" He croaked.

"He was injured badly in the battle. He is unconscious, but he's a fighter. He'll be fine. Honestly, you gave us more of a scare." Kili sighed. The action made him seize up, and he held his breath, letting it out in a grunt.

His spine hurt, his ribs hurt, his arm hurt, his head hurt, and his heart hurt. Nothing was whole. Not right now. Then a large figure ducked into the tent. His cloak was blood-stained, and the sight made Kili recoil.

His hair was a dark mess, and scrapes and cuts masked his face. Kili almost didn't recognize him. The walk sold it. _Thorin… _Oin immediately stood, backing away so Thorin could sit beside his nephew.

Kili looked so _feeble!_

Thorin gently brushed two dark locks behind Kili's ear. He smiled sadly, gazing down at his sister-son in pure relief. Kili searched his greenish-brown eyes. They looked greyer in the white light, almost blue.

"Uncle…" Was that his voice? That small, barely audible whisper?

"I'm here Kili. I'm here." All traces of the gold lust were gone. All that remained was Kili's uncle. Honorable, loyal, and a willing heart. Softly, Thorin rubbed Kili's cheek clean of dirt and blood. The young dwarf wriggled, trying to get closer to Thorin when he hissed in pain. "Stay still, Kili," Thorin told him firmly. "You cracked some ribs and hurt your back. You shouldn't be moving. Here," carefully, Thorin gathered his nephew in his arms. He was so small, curled up right there. Kili rested his head on Thorin's shoulder.

His back burned, begging him to lay back down, but he didn't oblige. He wanted to stay there, in his uncle's arms, forever. Then a dark thought crossed his mind. If he were to die that day, he would want to right here. He was shocked by himself. How could he be so selfish?! His family and friends needed him to stay strong. But death's call was so inviting. It promised to relieve him of all pain, it promised him happiness. But if he accepted, he would be tormenting everyone he loved. He had promised his mother he would return to her. And he would. No matter what.

"Do you think he'll make it?" Thorin asked Oin as they gazed upon a sleeping Kili. When the healer didn't answer, Thorin jerked his eyes back to him.

Oin wasn't looking at him; he wasn't looking at anyone. His eyes were closed and he let out a long sigh. When he opened them again, he said, "I say there's a twenty-eighty percent chance here." He looked up at Thorin with grim eyes.

"Eighty percent that he'll survive?" Thorin asked hopefully.

Oin crushed that though with a sad shake of his head and a hand to Thorin's shoulder. "I'm afraid he's got a twenty percent chance of survival." In a quieter voice, he added, "if not even less."

Thorin let out a shaky breath. He turned back to Kili. _His _Kili; _Dis's_ Kili. He shuddered. Why didn't he stop the orc from throwing his nephew over? Why didn't he sacrifice himself for Kili? Dis was going to be heartbroken. That is if Thorin could bring himself to tell her.

As if reading his mind, Oin spoke. "We've called for the boy's mother. We only worry that she won't make it here in time."

Thorin swallowed back the choking feeling in his throat. "How long will it take?"

"Straight shot? I say four or five days."

"Does he have that time?" Thorin asked worriedly.

"I can't be sure. Which is why I've already asked the Mirkwood elves, Legolas in particular, to allow her safe passage. He said he would, and that he would even meet her at the edge of the forest himself." Oin was rummaging through a drawer now, creating quite a lot of racket. Still, Kili didn't stir.

He turned back around. "And before you ask; no, you're not going out there to bring her here. You're needed here. Besides," Oin gestured at Thorin's splinted leg. "you're in no way to go anywhere."

Thorin knew what he was trying to say. _Kili might be dead by the time you return. _Thorin, however reluctant, nodded. "I know." He said shortly, turning and limping out of the tent.

Days bled into more days, and still, Kili didn't lift a finger. He hardly opened his eyes, and when he did, a new face was always there to greet him. He appreciated his friends' care, but not only did it embarrass him, it also aggravated him. It told him that the world was moving on without him. It had finally managed to confine him to one place, and now it was leaving him behind.

The panic attacks he got when he woke didn't help his injuries, either. He would wake thrashing about. One time, he even fell out of the bed trying to escape the monsters in his mind and his mind alone. He had bashed his already broken elbow on the hard ground and screamed out in pain, alerting everyone that something was wrong.

Something was wrong indeed.

Every word that was spoken to him seemed to be chosen carefully as if everyone was tip-toeing around a pack of trolls. He didn't like it. Not one bit. Whenever he asked if he was going to be fine, they would just nod and say yes. But deep down, there was a cold dread in the pit of his stomach that told him he wasn't. It was speaking to him now, too.

_You're going to die. May as well die now._

But then he had been told that his mother was coming all the way from Ered Luin.

_You're that far gone. They've called your mother to come say goodbye to you. Do you really want her to watch you die? Just give up now, so that you don't have to see her face as she cries over your dying body._

It was almost a possibility. But Kili wanted to see his mother for one last time. Just one, and then he could rest.

Rest sounded so good.

Then, finally four horrific days later, the tent flap was pulled back. But it wasn't his mom that he saw. Dwalin, Thorin, and Oin came into the room, Oin pulling a stretcher behind him. _Oh, no… What have they got planned for me now?_

"Alright, lad, we're just going to lift you up onto this stretcher here," explained Oin, "and then we're going to take you to your room. It'll be much more comfortable there. Okay?"

Kili shook his head, which sent a painful twinge down his back. He didn't want to move. He wanted to stay right there. Right there was perfectly fine. But none of the dwarves seemed to see him. Thorin put gentle but firm hands on Kili shoulders, and Dwalin grabbed his legs.

And then they lifted him up, and the screaming of his limbs escaped through his mouth. It was over in a second, but the pain took longer to die down. They were rolling him through the halls of Erebor when he finally fell silent.

And then he realized.

_They'll have to take me off the stretcher too…_

This sent him into a fit. He tried to struggle free, no matter how badly it hurt. Growling, he tried to sit up. But a strong hand on his good shoulder did not permit it. Thorin. Did he _want _to see Kili in pain? Did he take joy in it?

Kili was too weak to fight back for much longer, and soon, they were in his room. They did the same procedure, despite Kili's screaming. He was in a heated battle with the agony threatening to end him, and he was losing. Badly.

The world went dark red, then flashed white, then black.

Fili, finally being allowed to walk, went straight for his brother's room. He had heard screaming that sounded unnervingly like Kili, and he had been told his brother was in bad shape. No one told him how bad, though, because they hadn't wanted to worry him. But what they didn't say worried him most.

He gently pushed open the door. Oin was just finishing up in the room, and then he left without so much as a word. Until he was already out in the hallway, where he backed up and whispered into Fili's ear a warning.

"Be careful. Kili's been having these sudden attacks, and it's just a matter of time before he has another. Try not to rouse him if possible. It seems that sleep is becoming a rare thing for him. And my ears." Fili raised an eyebrow at this, but then remembered hearing voices outside his own room just a day ago.

_Whenever he's not sleeping, he's kicking, screaming, and shouting._

Were they talking about Kili then?

Still, he gave a concerned nod the Oin, then shut the door before crutching over to Kili's side. He sat in the chair beside the bed, leaning forward and reaching for Kili's good hand. He gave it a soft squeeze, and he saw Kili's eyebrows knit together.

_Whenever he's not sleeping, he's kicking, screaming, and shouting…_

_Kicking, screaming, and shouting…_

_Screaming and shouting…_

Fili jerked out of his thoughts, eyes landing on his sleeping brother. He stared at the hand he was holding. It was bigger than his. Kili was the taller one, even though Fili was older. Still, it seemed so small to Fili. Everything about Kili did. He was not the carefree, fun, sarcastic brother he once had.

Someone came to sit beside Fili, and he realized it was Thorin. He rested his head on his uncle's strong shoulders, biting back tears. Thorin wrapped an arm around him, holding him close.

Then a messenger knocked on the door. Panting, they said, "Your Highness, she's here."

Thorin knew who he was talking about. _Dis… _"Come Fili, it's your mother." He said, gently prying the young dwarf away from his brother and leading him through the halls.

When they saw Dis, she came running up to him. There were tears in her eyes as she hugged them both. "Oh, thank Mahal you two are alright." She said, pressing a kiss to Fili's cheek.

She wrapped Thorin in a long and hard embrace, murmuring into his hair. "I missed you." Thorin stepped back to look into his sister's green eyes. Her soft face stared back at him, frowning.

"We missed you too," Fili said finally.

Dis gave him a small smile, but anyone with eyes could tell she wasn't happy. "Come, Kili's resting in his room," Thorin said, leading her into Erebor.

Dis hesitated. "Oh, well if he's sleeping—"

"He's going to be sleeping for a while." Thorin interrupted before she could finish.

"Oh," Dis nodded, then followed, keeping one hand on Fili's back the whole way and hoping it was comforting.

Then she saw him. Little Kili, who wasn't so little anymore. She staggered at the sight of him, stopping in the doorway. "Mom?" Fili asked her when she didn't move any closer.

She turned out the door, leaning against the wall and taking in deep breaths of air. She tried to keep the tears from falling down her face, but it was a losing battle. _Kili! _She wanted to scream. _Why Kili? Why did it have to be him!? _She got no answer.

Wiping her face, Dis gathered enough courage to step into the room. Then another step. And another. Until she was sitting in the chair beside her broken son. Thank Mahal Thorin took Fili and left the room, closing the door.

Dis rested her forehead against Kili's. She closed her eyes, and tears fell onto Kili's face. She noticed his right arm, heavily bandaged and tied against his ribs, which were also wrapped in white. His left hand was holding something. Was that… _the talisman?_

Gently, Dis moved his fingers away from the stone, holding it close to her heart. She broke, and her cries came quicker and shook her body.

"Mo-m?" she jerked at the noise. _Kili?_

It was! Her little Kili was awake! "Yes, honey, I'm here. I'm here." she sniffled, smiling down at her son.

He smiled too. It was weak and small, but he smiled. "Good." He breathed. It was an awful sound, it was cracked and forced, and it caused more tears to roll down Dis' face. _I need to be strong. For Kili's sake. _"Why are you crying?" So much for that idea.

"I'm crying," she said, wiping a tear away before grabbing Kili's hand. "because I missed you very much." It was true. She did. And when she had gotten the letter regarding Kili's health, it had ruined her. It didn't talk about anyone or thing except Kili, and that had worried her. But Thorin and Fili were alive. And when she saw them, she didn't think it could be that bad.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

_Dear Dis Durin,_

_I'm dropping all formalities to this letter because I want to get the point across as quickly as possible, so please forgive my bluntness. Your son, Kili Durin, was gravely injured in the battle to reclaim Erebor. I would recommend you get here as soon as possible, for I don't believe he will survive much longer. I have asked for an elf to guide you through Mirkwood, so do not be alarmed when you see one. The rest of the journey, I'm afraid, it in your hands._

_Sincerely, Oin_

Kili was struggling to keep his eyes open. The pain he could hear in his mother hurt him more than anything. His heart ached for her. How pitiful did he look? He had only seen Dis cry on other time, when his father died, Was this comparable?

It was almost a comforting thought. Kili was as important as his father to Dis. He used the little strength he had left to squeeze Dis' hand, and then his eyes fell closed and he went flax.

He awoke again expecting to hear battle cries. Instead, he heard crying from across behind a closed door. _Mom…? _Did he really make his mom cry? Really? So many tears waisted over him.

_I told you you should've died before she got here. It's not too late. After all, she'll only cry one last time if you die._

But she wouldn't. She would cry over and over every time she thought of him. If he pushed through and persevered, then she wouldn't have to cry over him anymore.

But the thought of death was so _comforting. _Every fiber in Kili's body stung, and the draught Oin had been giving him was just out of reach. A full bottle of it. He could end it all right there.

It was slightly frightening- _very _frightening, but the good outweighed the bad, at least to Kili. So, he reached out for it with his left hand, twisting the cap off with his teeth. It would be a nice way to go. He wouldn't feel a thing.

And all he had to do was down the thing. Oin had been giving him about a teaspoon of the stuff, so a whole bottle would do well. So, without another thought, he tipped his head back and swallowed all of it.

And he immediately regretted it.

Everything went numb almost instantly. His vision grew fuzzy and red at the corners. The bottle fell out of his hand, shattering on the wooden floor. It sounded like it fell in another room, everything was so distant.

Kili's eyes closed, and he drifted off into a pleasant sleep for once.

"No!" Oin fell to his knees by the broken bottle. "Why, Kili? Why couldn't you just hang in there a little longer?" He scrambled to his feet and leaned his head over Kili's, listening for a breath. He cursed when he found none.

Thorin burst into the room to see Oin giving Kili a sternum rub. "Oin?!" He asked, taking another step closer before noticing the shattered glass on the ground. _Oh, Kili… What have you done?_

Behind Thorin, both Fili and Dis stood in the doorway, watching in horror. Thorin backed up to stand beside them, squeezing Dis' hand. _Why, Kili? _He wanted to shout it at his nephew, but it wouldn't have done much.

Being mad at Kili wasn't going to help anybody, so Thorin tried another tactic. _He was going through a lot of pain. Maybe seeing his mother cry over him was the last straw. _But Kili had always been so strong! With the goblins, with the arrow. Kili had always stuck with it until the end. _Grabbed the bull by the horns…_

But now, he had let the bull plow right through him.

And then a shaky breath was drawn in from the corner of the room, and Thorin realized it was Kili. He felt like he was going to faint from the relief.

Oin stepped back after a moment, carefully gathering all the glass shards and dumping them in the bin. He met Thorin's eyes with a weary glance, then moved past all of them. Both Dis and Fili were by Kili's side in an instant. Thorin stood back. He was afraid that if Kili was awake, he would lash out at him.

Dis ran a finger along the bridge of Kili's nose calmingly. She had always done that when one of the boys was having trouble calming down. Generally, they fell asleep immediately, but Kili's wide eyes were bloodshot. His breaths were quick, and Dis would call it more of a wheeze than a breath, but he was breathing, and that's what mattered.

Fili took his brother's hand in his. "It's okay, Kili. You're okay now." Kili tried to speak, but he couldn't find a voice. It didn't matter though, because Fili knew what he was going to say. "I'm here. So is Mom, and Uncle Thorin." Fili nodded towards the door.

Kili looked at Thorin guiltily. He turned his eyes to his mom. "I-I'm sorry." He whimpered.

"No, no. None of that." Dis said soothingly. "Just rest."

"I'm so sorry." Dis was about to stop him, but Kili got hold of his words first. "I'm so, so sorry. I was reckless." Dis sucked in a long breath.

"We'll talk about it later, okay? When you're better." She squeezed Kili's shoulder.

"Would if I don't get better?" He asked. Dis' jaw dropped and her gaze fell upon Kili. He regretted saying that. The hurt in his mom's eyes was so strong. She stood, turning and rushing out the door.

Fili turned his harsh eyes on his brother. "Really Kili?" Kili didn't understand. What had he said?

_Would if I don't get better?_

Thorin ran after his sister. She fell onto her knees not far down the hall. Thorin caught up to her, swinging himself around her to look her in the eye. She fell into him, burying her head in the crook of his neck. He hugged her close, hushing her.

"I can't," she whispered. "I can't face him. I know I have to but I can't. I don't want him to see me like- like this."

"I know. I know." That was all Thorin needed to see. He _did _know.


	3. Chapter 3 Forgiven but not Forgotten

**Hello! I tried to make the last chapter realistic without being horrible, so I hope I succeeded. Also, I hope you appreciated the long chapter. This one is not nearly as long. I only got time for one perspective. My Kiwi's perspective (NOT KILI).**

***Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters/ plotlines in 'The Hobbit,' this is purely for enjoyment purposes only.**

***Warning! There is mild torture in this "book." Tauriel, an elf in the movies- and Kili's love interest- is in this story as well. I have shipped these two in my story, however, there are no inappropriate scenes. If you are offended by either of these, I suggest you read another story instead.**

**Now, with that out of the way, we shall delve deep into the wonderful- ha, not really- story.**

Forgiven but not Forgotten

Kili looked into his brother's disappointed eyes. What had he said that upset his mom so much? Would if he didn't get better? Everyone knew it was a possibility. A high one at that. Especially after downing a whole bottle of Oin's draught.

He could still feel it rushing through his veins, nearly an hour after he had taken it. Of course, a teaspoon of this was supposed to last nearly eight hours, so he would be numb for a long while. But the draught didn't numb his heart, which is what he realized he was going for.

It hurt him so much to see his mother so sad. And then there was Thorin's worried gaze and Fili's protective state. There were the cautious glances that Kili had received when people had come in gone when he was in the tent. Now, it was only family, Oin, and close friends.

Close friends… was Kili forgetting someone? There was someone important to him. Who was it? They were more than friends, at least, in Kili's eye. A beautiful elf with long, red hair and bright eyes with a curiosity about the world. _Tauriel… _Had she made it out of the battle alive?

_How could I have forgotten about her? _He had been so wrapped up in himself that he had forgotten about the world around him. Once again, it pained him to remember that the world went on outside his door whether he liked it or not.

Kili, slowly but surely, managed to sit up with a small groan. He wanted to go run to his mom and tell her he was sorry for upsetting her. That he was sorry for everything. But he feared that no amount of words would take away the pain his mother felt.

Her son had tried to kill himself.

A flood of embarrassment washed over Kili. How could he have done that?

He let out a long sigh that shook his shoulders. Shame hung over him like a raincloud. He reached his good hand out for Fili, but he moved his away. Kili froze, mouth open but no words coming out of it. He tried again, willing his voice to sound. "Fili," he squeaked. His brother refused to meet his eyes. "Fili, I'm sorry."

"Tell that to Mom." He stood up, leaving the room. The slamming of the door caused bottles to rattle and a book to fall off the shelf; Kili jumped.

He stared at the closed door, heart torn in two. He supposed he deserved this. But why couldn't they understand? The pain, not only physical but mental as well, was so great that Kili _had _to end it. If only Oin hadn't gotten there so soon.

_Seriously?! You're thinking about it again? Look what you just put your family through!_

He had done enough harm for the day.

Still, it hurt that Fili, his best friend, and brother, slammed the door on him. He had never done that before. When they were kids, if one got mad at the other, the argument would be solved in a matter of seconds and they would be playing and laughing again. Kili didn't expect Fili to forgive him so easily this time. Or Thorin and Dis, for that matter.


	4. Chapter 4 Breaking Point

**Hey! Like I said, short chapter. This one is not, but I feel like I'm starting to lose inspiration for the story. I really hope not. **

***Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters/ plotlines in 'The Hobbit,' this is purely for enjoyment purposes only.**

***Warning! There are pain/wound descriptions in this "book." Tauriel, an elf in the movies- and Kili's love interest- is in this story as well. I have shipped these two in my story. If you are offended by either of these, I suggest you read another story instead.**

**Now, with that out of the way, we shall delve deep into the wonderful- ha, not really- story.**

Breaking Point

Thorin refused to go into Kili's room. It had been five days since he had upset Dis, and he had not seen his nephew since. Fili visited briefly, and so did Dis, but their moods were sour and they didn't say much to Kili.

Thorin knew Kili was struggling, but that didn't excuse trying to kill himself! It had hurt Thorin so much that Kili would rather die than live for his family if not himself. Thorin had never experienced such pain, and before this, he didn't know anyone who had.

Now, he was sitting with the Council. Several dwarves were there as well, debating over the future of the kingdom. The kingdom that took everything Thorin had known away from him.

Still, he felt a strange knot in his stomach that told him it was worth it. It was worth Kili's grave injuries; it was worth the breaking of a bond between brothers; it was worth the bloodshed and heartache.

"Your Majesty?" Thorin snapped out of his thoughts. He nodded at the dwarf that spoke. "We request the presence of one of the Princes."

Thorin turned to a Page. "Go get Fili."

"Prince Fili is busy with the army, Your Majesty." The Page told him. Fili had to take over what would've been Kili's job had he been fit to do it. "Shall I fetch Prince Kili?"

Thorin stared down at his knuckles. People were starting to question whether Kili was really on the mend. Somehow, the news of his attempted suicide had spread throughout the kingdom. People were questioning his sanity. Besides, Kili was only now starting to walk with crutches.

Still, Thorin nodded. "Yes." He said. He got a few surprised glances, especially the members of the company, his closest friends. Dwalin, who was standing to Thorin's left, whispered in his ear.

"I apologize if this is overstepping, but is Kili really ready for this?"

"_Prince _Kili will survive," Thorin grumbled back. There was silence in the hall. Until the rhythmic sound of crutches started echoing through the halls, as well as a few grunts.

_Kili…_

The Prince appeared in the archway, looking drained despite only walking down two corridors. The Page pulled out a chair for him, and he sat with a quiet thank-you. He placed his crutches against the table, propping them up.

His back begged him to lay back down, but Thorin had demanded his presence, and Kili wasn't about to disobey him. He couldn't disappoint him again.

Still, Kili got several concerned glances from around the table. He lowered his eyes. His right arm was still pinned to his stomach, and it was an awkward burden using crutches to get around, but he managed… with help.

His hair was still embarrassingly short, but it at least reached his shoulders now. Long enough to be pulled back the way he liked it. Half up, half down.

"This is absurd!" one of the councilmen exclaimed. "The boy isn't fit enough to sit up, let alone listen and sign off to our agreements."

"That _boy _is Prince Kili to you. And I wouldn't challenge him if I were you." Dwalin warned. Kili gave him a grateful look, but he knew the councilman was right.

And he knew that, if he was asked to attend more of these meetings, he would not be getting much better. Still, he didn't object, and he tried to answer all the questions directed towards him.

But when the pen and parchment came around, he didn't know what to do. He was right-handed, he couldn't sign this! Panic started to swell in Kili's chest. A clerk started to speak up. "He can't sign a paper! How will he—"

"I can sign it," Kili said firmly, startling the whole table into silence. Carefully, he picked up the pen. He touched the tip to the paper, then scrawled his name on the line. It was sloppy work, but it was understandable. _Easy enough… But if they ask me to do more than sign my name? Will it be so easy?_

He passed the paper and pen to Thorin, who took them roughly. Kili raised his eyes to look around the table. Everyone was watching Thorin carefully, not daring to speak before him. Kili knew exactly what they were thinking.

_A temper like his uncle… and a cripple. How will this kingdom function with these two in charge? _But there was Fili. He would lead the kingdom to glory.

Hopefully…

Several days passed by, and days bled into a month. Dis had left for Ered Luin a week after Kili's attempted suicide. Still, memories did not leave him, nor did the suspicious glares he was given whenever he attended a meeting. He still walked with a crutch, but he was finally on the mend.

His mind was plagued by horrible nightmares, and Thorin's rage was about to snap his last nerve. Fili still did all the army tasks, and Kili walked the tightrope of diplomacy. He hated it. Fili should be with the court, and Kili should be with the army! That's how it was planned.

Snippets of conversation crossed Kili's mind as he limped through the halls to the courtroom.

"_Look at him! Hardly able to walk on his own."_

"_I heard he tried to kill himself."_

"_Yeah, overdose."_

"_And they're having him attend court meetings?"_

"_So I heard."_

"_We're ruined."_

Kili ground his teeth, picking up his pace. Mistake. In his haste, he tripped over the crutch, stumbling into a flight of stairs.

He let out a loud pained hiss. All heads in the hallway turned to see him. He rolled onto his back, nursing his bad arm. Great, that was a perfect way to let everyone see he could handle it. Especially because it was right in front of the archway to the courtroom. He could see the annoyance in Thorin's eyes, but his uncle did nothing to help him.

Ignoring the pain, Kili grabbed his crutch, forcing himself up. He would not let people see his weakness, even if it meant more damage to his arm. He practically collapsed his chair by the table. Oin, who was sitting beside him, reached out to examine his arm, but Kili pulled back with a wince.

"I'm fine." His growl was deadly. His tone frightened Oin, and he drew back, facing the council again. Kili risked a glance his uncle's way. Pure embarrassment was in his eyes. _Embarrassment? I'm sorry, Your Majesty, did I embarrass you?!_

"Well, as I was saying, the cleanup is finished, but repairs are still being made to the castle. Smaug really damaged a lot, but we expect everything to be repaired by next December." December? That was eight months away!

"And the gold?" Of course, Thorin would ask about the gold. What else would Kili expect?

"We're still counting it." Before the clerk could continue, Kili interrupted.

"Have you decided what to do with it? You promised the people of Laketown their share. And the elves. Also, the—"

"Enough!" Thorin roared. Kili clamped his mouth shut, staring in pure fear at Thorin. "We earned back that gold, we keep it."

"But you promised—"

"I rescind that promise!"

"That's not possible!"

All the councilmembers stared in awe at nephew and uncle argue with each other. "It is very possible!" Thorin said, rising from his seat.

Kili, even though he knew it unwise, stood as well, hiding a wince with his anger. "You can't just take back a promise because you changed your mind! That's not how it works." Everyone around them was shocked the Prince challenge the King. It was unnatural. Unruly. Kili didn't care about those rules right now. His uncle broke a promise he made to so many people. "Those people depended on that gold and you know it!"

"Do not tell me what I know and don't know!" Thorin shouted back. Kili opened his mouth, about to argue back, but he caught Dwalin's warning glare and he shut his mouth.

From there on, Kili decided to take it slow. He wouldn't push himself too hard, he wouldn't try to prove to anyone that he was strong. No, he would prove to them that he was responsible. So, when he was allowed to walk again, he asked for help. He would walk slowly to the courtroom and sit on the other end of the table, as far from Thorin as possible.

He would keep his mouth shut unless asked a question, and that was that. Nothing less. Nothing more.

It lasted for an all of two days.

"Have we found the Arkenstone?" Thorin asked.

"Not yet. We're not quite done searching everything yet." A councilman responded, looking to his companions for confirmation.

"Well, you better find it quickly. The longer that thing is out of our grasp, the more vulnerable we are to attacks." Thorin ordered.

"Attacks?" Kili could help but snort. "We should be more worried about an attack coming from the humans or the elves because we betrayed them rather than because we can't find a stupid stone." He regretted one thing: calling the Arkenstone stupid.

"Must he be here?" One of the clerks asked.

"We need a prince to be present during these discussions. Prince Fili is too busy with the army to sit with us. Prince Kili is our only other option." Another explained. _So, I'm plan 'B.' The spare. That's comforting… _He thought darkly.

"They can switch places," Thorin growled.

"Switch? Your Majesty, Prince Kili is far to injured to work with the army." Oin objected. Kili didn't argue. He wanted to get out of this stuffy castle and out there with the actual noble and loyal dwarves, but he knew he was too weak.

"It would teach him a lesson," Thorin barked. A lesson? Wasn't the pain lesson enough?

"Yeah. A deadly lesson at that. Thorin, he's your nephew, don't forget that." This made Thorin's brow crease and eyes narrow. He glared at the healer, reprimanding him for his boldness.

Kili felt like Oin just took a bullet for him. A bullet to the head. "I revoke all speaking rights the Prince has, then. He shall not speak unless called upon." Kili had already planned on doing just this, but now that Thorin had ordered him, he knew he had to listen.

Swallowing his pride, he nodded solemnly. The discussion continued without his input. Until another contract came around. Kili picked up the pen shakily. He stared at the blank line. It was taunting him, daring him to mess up. To make one wrong streak. Then the whole council would have to make another one. But still, he put pen to paper.

In swirly, spider writing, he wrote, saying the letters in his mind. _K… i… l… i… _Then he cursed himself. The last 'i' he wrote scratched across the paper, nearly crossing over another letter from another name. Still, though, Kili continued to write his last name.

Cheeks red with embarrassment, he handed the parchment to another dwarf. They noticed the mistake too, and they showed it to another councilmember when he had signed his name. Soon, the whole table knew of Kili's mess-up.

He didn't dare look up at Thorin, because he could feel the harsh stare boring into him. Kili stared down at his hand as he fiddled with the runestone. His mother had given it back to him, forcing him to promise that he would never do anything so drastic as trying to take his life again.

Right now, Kili wished that when the orc dropped him, it had killed him.


	5. Chapter 5 Fire

**Hi! I've been busy of late, but still, here I am, gracing you with yet another. I'm no longer lacking inspiration because I've gotten the story back on its original path, but I still have no idea how long it will last.**

***Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters/ plotlines in 'The Hobbit,' this is purely for enjoyment purposes only.**

***Warning! There are wound/pain descriptions in this "book." Tauriel, an elf in the movies- and Kili's love interest- is in this story as well. I have shipped these two in my story. If you are offended by either of these, I suggest you read another story instead.**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Fire

Sitting on his bed in his room, Kili glared down at his hand. Tears welled up in his eyes, and because no one else was around, he let them fall. He shrugged off his robe. It was easy, seeing at one of the sleeves wasn't being used. Instead, it flopped ridiculously whenever he tried to walk.

He curled up on his bed, resting his head on his pillow and staring at a candle on his bedside table. The fire flickered in the darkness, battling against the cool draft. It promised hope and light, and if it grew bigger, warmth.

It was the only thing keeping Kili from downing another bottle of the draught, despite his promise.

He had been humiliated time and time again. It wasn't his fault he was injured! He had been fighting for this kingdom, for his uncle! Now, all he got was hate as a reward.

Kili closed his eyes, turning his head away from the bottle on the nightstand and the candle. When he woke again, he was shivering. The door creaked open, letting more cold air in. He curled his legs up against himself, blinking the sleep out of his eyes to see the candle with no flame.

Fili sat down on the edge of his bed, putting a reassuring hand on Kili's leg. "I heard what happened while I was gone." He said into the silence. Kili knew he was referring to the fall. "You should be more careful. Not only with yourself but with your words as well."

"Oh, don't worry, _King _Thorin has evoked my right to speak anyway," Kili grumbled. "Next thing I know, there's going to be a guard posted outside my door." He said it as a joke, but when he caught the look in Fili's eye, his smile faltered. "Don't tell me…"

"There's already a guard outside the door."

"Curse them. Curse them all!" Kili sat up suddenly, throwing his arm up in the air.

"Kili!" Fili hissed. "What did I just say about being careful with your words!?"

Kili flinched. "Sorry." He said sadly.

Fili softened. "No, I am. I should've been here for you." Kili almost laughed at this. "What's so funny?"

"You've been doing my job for over two months now." Kili glared down at his splinted arm, "While I've been whining over petty arguments."

Fili must've noticed what Kili really wanted to say. _While I've been hurting myself and recovering, then hurting myself again. _"Kili, don't blame yourself for this. If Uncle was like his old self and didn't put so much pressure on you, you wouldn't be trying to push yourself to your breaking point."

"But Fili, I _would _be. And it's not Thorin's fault I behave the way I do. It's mine and mine alone." _Just like when I tried to kill myself. _"And now, because of my actions, I have to face the consequences. _Alone_. I'm not dragging you into this, Fili. I put this on myself."

"Then, at least, don't push me away," Fili said. Kili nodded reluctantly, leaning into his older brother and sighing. This was how things should've been. With his brother. Without some angry king after his hide.

Later that day, Kili sat at the table in his room. Bofur was sitting in the armchair, writing on a piece of paper. "Hey, Bofur?" the dwarf glanced up from the paper. "Can I have a piece?"

"Sure thing, lad." Bofur handed him a paper, pen, and some ink.

Kili stared down at the daunting piece of parchment. He wanted to write to Tauriel. To ask her how she was. To tell her that he was better. He just wanted to talk to her.

So, he lowered the pen, scrawling out a word. By the second letter, he already messed up. He tried the back side.

_Dear—_

Messed up again. Kili crumpled up the paper, throwing it into the bin. He rested his head on his hand, fingering through his hair. He looked over at Bofur. "Can I… have another." Without a word, Bofur handed him another piece.

_Dear Tauriel,_

There. Now he just had to take it slow.

_I hope you're well. I—_

Crap! Not again. Flipping it over, Kili tried again.

_I hope you're well. I was—_

"Screw it!" He said out loud. Bofur flinched, pen falling out of his hand and scratching along his own piece of parchment, completely ruining the writing. Kili tossed the paper away, standing and limping out the door, trying to ignore the concerned stare Bofur was giving him.

The council was shouting at each other. It was chaos in the courtroom. Kili's reflexes kicked in as a piece of paper came flying at him, and he swatted away. Even Thorin was involved in the heated debate.

It was hardly a debate. No one was taking turns talking. Everyone was just yelling at each other, coming up with incredibly unique insults. "You pig-washing cowering muttonchop!"

"You toilet-gurgling piece of cowhide!"

"_Enough!_" Kili roared, pushing himself out of his seat. The table silenced immediately. Even Thorin looked speechless. "All of you are being ridiculous! We're not going to get anything done throwing insults at each other."

A few coughs and murmurs ran through the dwarves, but everyone looked quite shamefaced. Kili, satisfied with the result, eased himself back into his chair. The council was much calmer after that.

Finally, the meeting was over, and still, dwarves glanced at Kili sheepishly. He rolled his eyes, getting to his feet and filing out the room with the rest of the council. He no longer needed a crutch, but he still couldn't go very fast, and he had to stay close to the walls for support.

"No. Absolutely not." Oin gave a firm shake of his head. "I don't care why, you're not getting on a horse. You can hardly walk as it is. That horse will jostle you and you only have one free hand."

"I have to." Insisted Kili. "I can't stay cooped up here any longer." He moved past Oin, making his way to the stables. But the healer caught up to him quickly, blocking his way.

"I said 'no.'" He growled. "It wasn't a question."

Kili, trying to control the anger clawing at him from inside, drew in a long breath. "Oin, stand down." He ordered. The healer looked taken aback, but he didn't move. "That's an order!" Kili shouted in his face.

Two guards heard him, and they took a step forward as if to defend the young Prince. Oin regained his dignity, and he stood tall. "No. I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to do this to yourself."

"Stand down." There was an edge to Kili's voice that made Oin think of Thorin. He wasn't actually getting mad, was he? _We can't afford that. _But, thank Mahal, Kili's eyes softened. "Please, Oin. I need to do this."

"What you need is rest. You're still healing."

"I've rested long enough. I cannot stand by watching others suffer."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to Laketown," Kili said definitively. Oin took a step back.

"Why?"

"That's none of your business." Kili was on his last nerve, and he knew if he said too much, then he would lash out at the dwarf, but he managed that. The healer, as if realizing he could not win this argument, stepped aside.

"Very well." He said though it wasn't well at all.

Kili gave a single nod, limping down the halls to the stables outside. When he got there, he secured a saddle and bridle to a chestnut mare. He guided her out, trying to decide how to go about mounting her.

He put his left boot in the stirrup, grabbing onto the reigns with his good hand. He stumbled back to the ground, taking a deep breath. He tried again, heaving himself onto the horse. Kili found himself laying on his injured arm, and he jumped off as the pain stabbed him.

_How was he supposed to do this? He couldn't even get on a horse. _Footsteps came up behind him and he whipped around. Fili was there to greet him. "Oh, thank Mahal, I thought I was looking like an idiot in front of a stranger," Kili said. Fili wrapped him in a tight hug, slapping his back good-heartedly.

"It's good to see you, brother." He took in Kili's looks. "Are you sure you should be riding?" _Not you too, Fili! _He nodded. Fili sighed. "Okay, then at least let me help you up."

Kili felt a hot tide of embarrassment. He looked back at his horse, who tossed her head in impatience. Kili looked at his brother with as much pride as he could muster… And he agreed. Fili grabbed his little brother's waist as Kili hooked a boot into the stirrup. He hoisted him up onto the mare. "Thanks," Kili smiled. It was an embarrassed smile- a mortified smile was more like it.

Fili nodded, giving the horse a hard pat on the rear. She snorted, kicking a front hoof in the dirt. Kili gave his brother a nod of goodbye, for his hand was too busy clutching the reigns to wave.

Oin was right. The horse did jostle Kili about, and before he was even halfway to Laketown, his back ached and his thighs were sore. He had been squeezing them against the horse's side so hard for support, that they were weak now. And then he realized a mistake. He didn't bring any of the draught with him.

He had been so focused on stealing gold, he forgot about the medicine.

Yes, he stole gold from the vault. He had been revoked of his share, but he was not about to break their promise to Laketown.

Finally, Kili arrived there. The destruction that was caused by Smaug was almost completely cleaned up. But that did not mean it was rebuilt. Only a few solitary buildings still stood. Others were being built, but the town was a sorry sight. People looked at Kili as though he was royalty, which, in reality, he was, but he had made sure to wear his traveling clothes, and his hair was longer and more bedraggled than when he had been here before.

A familiar face caught his eye. _Bard… _Not just Bard now, but Bard the Dragon Slayer. He saw Kili, and his eyes lit up. They met, Kili still on his mount, in one of the cleaner sections of the city.

"Master Dwarf, it is good to see you."

"And you as well. I've heard you're the one who killed Smaug." Kili said with a hint of amusement as Bard's daughters joined them.

"Yes, I did. With the help of my son." Bard waved vaguely around the town. "But he caused much destruction when he fell. We are still rebuilding and waiting for your King to give us the gold he promised." Kili's face fell at this. How was he supposed to tell Bard that Thorin had rescinded the deal? Kili had smuggled some gold, yes, but it was only a mere portion of what Thorin had promised. Bard must have seen the troubled look in Kili's eyes. "Is something wrong?"

Kili started, turning around to the bag on his horse's back. She took a step forward and he jerked. Bard held her still, noticing that Kili couldn't use his right hand. He pulled the bag off, straining his back and wincing.

He handed the bag to Bard. "It's not all of it, but it was all I could manage to take." He explained.

"What do you mean?" Carefully, Bard handed the bag to his eldest daughter.

"No one else can know this, but Thorin has fallen ill to the gold. He's rescinded the deal he made with your people. I only just managed to take this much." Kili shook as he told Bard. He could almost hear Thorin yelling at him already.

"You stole this?" Bard asked in a rushed whisper. Kili bit his lower lip, nodding. Bard made a move to hand the bag back to him, but Kili put his hand up.

"No, I cannot take it back." He refused. "You need it more than I do."

"But if the King is sick, as you say, he will be furious with you." Yes, he would. Kili knew it. But it was a risk he was willing to take if it meant he could help these people.

"I've faced his wrath before, I will face it again if I must." In truth, Kili didn't know if he _could _face Thorin. He wouldn't only be furious, he would be livid. If he found out Kili stole from him, _when _he found out, there would be no easy punishment.

"I cannot thank you enough, Master Dwarf."

Kili smiled. "Please, call me Kili. There's no need for formalities here. As for you, Dragon Slayer, you are most welcome. Now, I must get back before the others notice my absence." Bard nodded. Kili turned his horse to head back, but his legs protested, burning and rubbing against her sides. He hissed through his teeth, stopping his mount.

"Kili?" asked Bard. The human took a step closer, grabbing the horse by the reigns to keep her from moving. Kili closed his eyes briefly.

"I'm fine. I just need to get back to Erebor." Bard looked doubtful, so Kili persisted. "I will rest there."

Reluctantly, the Dragon Slayer nodded. He let go of the reigns, and Kili was off. He just made it out of the town when he was hit by a wave of exhaustion. He leaned against his horse, putting far too much pressure on his broken arm. He was too tired to notice, though.

His grip on the reigns loosened, and they slipped out of his hand. The horse sped up, almost as though she felt that something was wrong. Pain coursed through Kili's limbs, and they were only halfway to Erebor as the sun started to set. The ride back seemed much more prolonged than the ride there.

He had managed to sit himself up for a while, but with every blink it became harder to open his eyes, and eventually, he slumped back onto his horse. It was dark before long, and neither horse nor rider knew where to go. Actually, the rider was asleep, distant memories playing in his head.

He tried to crawl his way out of the darkness, but it had ensnared him, dragging him back, leaving his horse to find her way on her own. Then, Kili finally managed to grasp onto a string of consciousness. He woke, eyes heavy, to find themselves deep in a forest. Where were they? What was going on?

Just like the way to Laketown, they had gone around the lake, but they were so far from the water that Kili couldn't hear its reassuring battering of the rocks. He sat up slowly. "Hello?" He called into the darkness. There was no reply. None of the watches had been posted so far out from the kingdom.

Kili decided to head what he assumed was east, where the water was, but he couldn't tell if it was actually east, because the thick foliage prevented him from seeing the moon or stars.

"Hello?" He called again. He called it a few more times as his horse trudged across the rocky ground tiredly. Then he heard the rustling of the brush. His horse spooked, rearing and throwing him onto the ground before thundering off. Kili turned to look to his left. There was the glistening surface of the water, just past a few trees. He was so close.

Then the rustling brought him back. He coughed, turning to stare into the bushes. The sight of the creature made his heart stop. An orc. Not just any orc, though, but Bolg. Kili was slammed into reality, and his breaths came rapid and harsh as he watched the monster approach him. He was defenseless. All the orc had to do was swing his mace once and Kili would be dead.

But orcs were cruel creatures, and he wouldn't let Kili get away that easily.

Fili gasped as he saw Kili's horse finally return. But there was no Kili on it. He stopped in his tracks, mind spinning. Another guard grabbed the horse and guided her off. Fili, panicking, assembled a team of soldiers and tracked the horse's hoof prints. Kili was the better tracker, he had said it many times before, but Kili wasn't here right now. So, Fili had to rely on his own skills.

Dwalin was with him as well, ax already raised defensively. Fili hoped it wasn't necessary. He hoped that the horse had just spooked over a night-bird and thrown Kili, even though it would've been painful for his brother. Fili couldn't think about the possibility that an enemy had found his little brother.

Kili struggled against Bolg's grip, but he was too weak to put up much fight. He was nothing like he had been, swift and sly, when the two had last faced off. Now, he was crippled and tired, hardly able to keep his eyes open.

"I'm surprised you survived your wounds." The orc growled.

"Yeah. Me too…" Kili whispered. This was funny to Bolg, and the orc laughed loudly, scaring birds and other small critters. Kili flinched as Bolg pulled him to his feet.

"You were strong, dwarf." He spat the last word. "I enjoyed our last match. But now, you are weak, and I doubt you could handle one blow by my mace. Even to your arm." _No, no. Please, no. I'll surely lose it then. If I don't lose my life as well._

Kili couldn't hide his fear as his breath caught in his throat. He let it out with a half whimper, half tremble. Bolg threw him into the trunk of a tree suddenly, and Kili hit it with his full weight, stars exploding behind his eyes. Somehow, he found the strength in him to roll to his feet. He snatched a long stick, pointing at Bolg as if it were some deadly weapon.

He took a stumbling step closer, nearly stabbing the orc's eye out. But he just managed to back away. Kili slashed the stick across his face, and blood spurted out as he scratched it across the orc's eye. Bolg howled in rage, blindly throwing his mace about.

It got so close to Kili's face that he felt it whiz by, and he staggered back. He tripped over his feet in his haste, twisting his ankle uncomfortably. Desperately, he grabbed a low tree branch, pulling himself to his good leg. There was no way he was going to win this fight. It was so unfair.

He tripped over his limp leg, falling onto his back as he scrambled away from Bolg's deadly mace, pure fear-stricken to his core and showing in his eyes. He backed up into a tree and was cornered. The orc raised his weapon, about to plow it down into Kili's head, but the tip of a sword pierced through his skin, forcing him to his knees.

Another sword penetrated his left shoulder, and he collapsed. Kili let a tsunami of exhaustion take over him. He was safe now. His people had found him!

Still, even with the reassurance of his friends, Kili forced himself not to nod off. He was afraid that, if he did, he wouldn't wake up. He blinked, staring with dark eyes at his brother who appeared from behind the mound of the dead orc's body. The silver lining of the moon traced Fili's features, falling over his broad shoulders and flowing to his fingertips.

He lent a hand out to Kili, who took it, wincing as his brother pulled him up. Kili fell into him, his bad leg giving way. Fili wrapped his arms around him, hands clapping onto his back as he stumbled a little.

"Sorry," Kili whispered, trying to back off a little. Fili grabbed his brother's arm and put it over his shoulder.

"Don't talk now." He told him. Kili nodded, hobbling as Fili helped him over to the others. Kili could see Erebor's high mountain top, but most of the mountain was obscured by trees and a few rolling clouds.

It would be a long walk… A long hop.

They had to stop several times for Kili to rest, for his aching limbs would not allow him to go much further. Eventually, though, he and the others managed to make it back to the mountain. When they got to Kili's chambers, he collapsed in his bed, sweat shining on his forehead and plastering his hair to his neck.

Oin was called in, and he started fussing over Kili, who was proclaiming that he merely twisted his ankle. He propped the young dwarf's leg up on a pillow, which even that sent a shocking bolt of pain up his leg, causing him to kick it. "Well, it's not broken. Surprisingly." Oin said the last word in a hushed whisper. "It is sprained though. I say about two weeks in a cast. Give or take depending on how well you take care of it."

"How soon until I can start riding?" Kili grunted as Oin played with his leg, rubbing the dark purplish-red bruise that was quickly forming.

"How about we start thinking about walking first, hmm? Besides, you'll be bedridden for about a day or so. Then, we can move to crutches. But no riding until you're off of those. You pushed yourself too hard, Kili. But what's new? You've been pushing yourself too hard for the past two and a half months." Oin rambled, still fussing. "Okay, this is going to taste disgusting, but it will help you with the pain and you can finally get some sleep."

The healer poured some dark brown liquid onto a metal spoon and handed it to Kili. He hesitated, smelling the medicine. His face scrunched up in a grimace and he tossed Oin an angry glare. Still, he forced the vile liquid down his throat.

Slowly, the pain dulled out, and Kili let out a choked sigh. "Don't let the King near me." He said quietly. Fili raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't ask," Kili said, letting himself relax slightly as his brother nodded slowly. He would ask questions later, but now, Kili would rest. It was done… But it was far from over.


	6. Chapter 6 The Hurter and the Healer

**Hello! That was a decently long chapter, right? Also, I skipped a chapter by accident and had to re-upload part of the story... Sorry! I'm not perfect. About the story, though... I keep trying to get Kili to recover, and then keep hurting him again… Anyway, in this chapter, he **_**does **_**recover a surprising amount. I can't wait to get him out of the courtroom. He does not belong there. Anyway, enjoy!**

***Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters/ plotlines in 'The Hobbit,' this is purely for enjoyment purposes only.**

***Warning! There is mild torture in this "book." Tauriel, an elf in the movies- and Kili's love interest- is in this story as well. I have shipped these two in my story. If you are offended by either of these, I suggest you read another story instead.**

The Hurter and the Healer

Grinding his teeth, Kili hooked his arm over the crutch and paced down the halls to the courtroom. He let a Page slide his chair out from the table for him, and he gave him a grateful nod.

The conversation was long and boring. Besides, Kili's mind was elsewhere. He stared out the great big windows, resting his head on a hand and watching the clouds pass by.

"Prince Kili?" he jerked out of his daydream, head nearly falling off his hand. "The contract," a councilman nodded down at the parchment in front of Kili.

He read over it quickly. _Rescinding his promise to split the gold… the Arkenstone is an important symbol, and if it is stolen, the person(s) will be subjected to death by hanging… if gold is stolen, the person(s), depending on the amount of gold, will be subject to six to eighteen months in prison to death by hanging…_

Kili looked up at the dwarves around him, pushing the paper away. "I can't sign this." He declared, shaking his head.

"Why?" a clerk asked, receiving agreeing nods from around the table. _Why? _all the eyes seemed to ask Kili.

The Prince swallowed. "Because I don't consent to it." This received several shocked murmurs, but they all silenced by the pounding of Thorin's fist.

"Why is that?" He glared daggers at Kili, but he held his ground.

"I find it unfair punishment. Regardless of whether someone betrayed you or not, you should not punish them with death, no matter what they stole." Kili tried to keep his voice even, staring levelly at the King. He could not let the guilt show in his expression, even though his face was expressionless.

The councilmembers glanced uncertainly at each other. "We can't pass it without a prince's consent." One of them said.

"Call for Prince Fili. He should be breaking right now. Maybe he can sign this document." Another suggested with a mean glare at Kili.

Several silent minutes later, a worn and filthy Fili appeared in the archway. Dirt was smudged across his clothes and face, and his eyes were only partially open. He looked like Kili so often had before the battle. But Kili had enjoyed that feeling; it gave him comfort when he fell asleep knowing that he had worked hard. Now, he stayed up half the night trying to plan how to run the kingdom.

"Prince Fili, we request that you sign a document of ours so we can get it passed into law?" A clerk stated.

Fili glanced at his brother. "Why did you not have K- Prince Kili sign it?" he questioned, stuttering on the words Prince Kili as though he had not known how to address his brother.

"He refused." The dwarf responded gruffly.

Fili picked up the paper, examining it as he held it in both hands. _Why had Kili not signed this? It's not nearly as bad as I was expecting. They were pulling me away from one of my few breaks for this? _Something must've been said during the hearing, it was the only explanation. Kili normally acted sensibly. He could be rash and stubborn, but he knew the difference between right and wrong; left and right.

Something was up. Something bad.

Why had Kili gone to Laketown again?

Had he gone against the King's orders and delivered their gold? Was that why he refused to sign this? He would be accused of treason… it would get him in prison.

Fili had failed to stand up for his brother before, and he would do it now. He handed the paper back. Treason normally resulted in life in prison, this was fairly reasonable, but still, he wouldn't let his little brother get put in prison over trying to do what he felt was the right thing. "I'm sorry," Fili said, "but I cannot sign this."

Kili visibly relaxed, watching his brother. _Thank you, Fili._

The fire crackled, expanding in the darkness and lighting up the stone fireplace. On the wooden mantle were a few books and bottles. The side table near the bed held a single candle, and the table and chairs were empty all except for a runner sprawled across the small wooden table.

The fur rug on the floor was soft, long and shaggy. The single window allowed light to bleed through, sending grey stripes across the floor and onto the door. The bed was in the corner. It wasn't the grandest of rooms, but it was the room Kili had chosen. It wasn't even made for a prince. Instead, it was made for one of the staff, but he had saved the supposed prince chambers for one of them. They did, after all, work just as hard as him, some even harder.

Kili pushed back the heavy covers of the bed, slipping into some simple, comfortable clothes and pulling his royal robe- though it was more of a cloak- over him. He reached under his bed, pulling out a leather satchel. He slung it over his shoulder, stumbling over to the door. He was to meet with Bard today, and he needed to ride by horse. This time, he didn't forget to put in the bottle of the draught.

Not many dwarves were up yet, for it was still early in the morning and the sun was only just rising. So, it was easy to sneak past the few people in the halls with some smiles and waves.

Kili slunk to the stables, staying close to the walls and using them to support himself. He pulled out a horse, somehow managing to fit a saddle and bridle on it. He pushed himself up onto the overhang of one of the stalls, hooking his right boot into the stallion's stirrup. His other foot was still in a splint, and it was awfully hard to mount the creature, but he managed without any help.

With a tight grasp of the reigns, he set off to Laketown. The ride seemed quicker than last time, but perhaps that was because last time, he got caught by an orc. The memory sent a shudder down his spine.

Even after the battle had ended, peace did not fall upon the kingdom, nor did it grace Kili. In his mind, every day was a battle. He wished so badly that he was fit enough to take care of the army while Fili dealt with the negotiations and contracts. They both hated where they were now, and they would gladly switch with each other, but Kili had prevented that from happening.

He hated himself for it. If he had been patient and careful, he may have been training an army instead of smuggling gold to Laketown.

"I see you've injured yourself… again." Bard said, noting Kili's leg.

"Yeah, got in a fight with a rogue orc," Kili said, his leg burning him for just a moment as if to remind him. "He's dead though…" He stared down at the splint, losing himself in his thoughts.

"Kili?" Bard asked as the Prince fell silent.

"Sorry," he took off his satchel, handing it to Bard. "I couldn't get as much this time. Still, I have several more trips to make in order to make up for—"

"This is enough."

"But it's not even half of what you were promised!" Kili exclaimed, just quiet enough to not send heads swiveling.

"Things change. You're risking your reputation and your life for us. This will be enough, at least until King Thorin gets better and realizes his mistake. It is not yours to pay for, Kili. Don't even try to put this on yourself." Bard gave the horse a pat on the neck. "Don't get caught up with the orcs on your way home this time."

Kili laughed softly. "I'll try." He was turning his horse around when he heard his name being shouted from a distance.

"Prince Kili!" He halted, back rigid. "Look! Look, it's the Prince!" Several people gathered around him, reaching their hands up.

"Rumors were that you died in the battle!"

"We thought you were gone!"

"How is Erebor?"

"Is it as grand as the tales?"

Kili inhaled slowly. So many people were blocking his way, and it unnerved his horse, whose tail was flicking about. Kili didn't know what questions to answer... if any. He tried to find Bard in the crowd, but it was so big now that he could not.

"Everyone, give the Prince some space!" There he was, shouting from the edge of the group.

Some backed up, but they didn't clear a path for Kili. "Yes, I must get back to my kingdom." Everyone silenced as Kili spoke. He had never been treated like this in his life. He was just another boy with a wild imagination and a fascination for the little things.

Slowly, people dispersed, and Kili shot Bard a grateful look before heading back. He rode for the rest of the day, and when he got back, the sun was setting, displaying beautiful strokes of orange and pink in the sky.

He stared up at it dreamily. It was so beautiful. So peaceful. It was an incredible getaway from the rest of the world. The lake was orange as well, and the dark spruce trees stretched up into the sky as jagged silhouettes, just like the mountain.

Kili dismounted, guiding his horse into its stall. He locked the gate but didn't back away. He stared into the dark eyes of the stallion, who blinked back at him slowly. He lost himself in the black inky pool, and it startled him when a hand rested on his shoulder.

He spun around to see Fili, a concerned look in his brother's eyes. "Where have you been?" He asked, guiding Kili away from the stables. "You've been gone all day. What have you been doing?"

He couldn't tell Fili the truth. There was no way his brother would except it. But would if he already knew? What if he knew, and he was just waiting for Kili to own up to it? But anyone could be listening, and Kili wouldn't risk the Royal Guard hearing him talk about undermining the king.

"Kili…?"

He sighed. "Sorry, I just went for a ride." He lied.

"Where?"

His brother was catching onto him. "Nowhere in particular." Fili gave him a warning glance.

"Where?" he asked again, firmer this time.

Kili shook his head. "I already told you." He looked around warily. "And I'd rather not talk about it right now." He said carefully. _That _wasn't suspicious. Still, Fili gave him a nod, but a look of mistrust was etched in his eyes. _Please, Fili, trust me. I would tell you if I could._

And he could, _would_, but not yet. Not right now.

Kili sat in his usual spot at the table. He was the only one there, and he would be for several hours. He played with a tassel on the end of the runner. He rubbed it between his fingers, studying the intricate braiding of the little tuft. It was gold, the runner blue with flecks of silver and the same color gold. Those were the kingdom's colors, and that was what colors his cloak was.

Yawning, he dropped the tassel, rested his head on his hand. Beneath the table, he could see his splinted leg. It wasn't nearly as bad as his arm had been, but he would still need to wear the bind for another week or two. He had definitely pushed himself by riding a horse. His arm was still bandaged, but it wasn't half as thick as it had been when he first broke it. Another two or three weeks and he would finally have it off.

He would finally be able to use his bow. Lead his army.

And so, three weeks later, he hopped out of bed, shoving his boots on and throwing on some decent clothes and his cloak before running out the door. He had a whole week of priming and getting ready for the army, and he was ready.

Kili bolted around the corner, nearly running into a passing maid. "Sorry," he dodged her, taking the stairs three at a time as he made his way down to the great doors. He was almost there. _So close…_

And then he was there. He was _free_!

_Take it slow… _Oin's words echoed in his mind.

He skidded to a halt, slowly pushing open the great doors to gaze outside.

Excitedly, Kili took his bow off his shoulder, grabbing an arrow and knocking it. It felt so natural despite not holding it for over three months. It was like he had just shot it yesterday.

If he could actually pull it back.

His arm strained with the tension, and he let go of the string, sending an arrow plowing into the dirt. He picked it up, examining it and deciding it was worth using again.

If he ever could use it again.

_Stop thinking that! You'll get nowhere thinking negatively!_

But would he get anywhere letting his hopes get up? He, for some foolish reason, had thought it would be just the same; firing a bow now after months of not using his arm. It was a ridiculous thing to think, and he wanted to kick himself for it. But a heavy sadness clung to him, preventing him from doing so much as lifting his head.

It weighed down on him and he let it break him. Kili fell to his knees, head hanging low, eyes closed tight as he tried not to scream in anger. Why couldn't he just be better? Why did he have to go through all of this?

It took over two weeks of gaining his strength back before Kili had the will to try again with his bow. He had started writing again, sending letters to Tauriel without a response. He could hold a sword, though it was heavy and he put most of the weight in his left hand, learning how to wield it in both hands.

It would be a while before he was as good as he used to be, but he was ready to try as hard as he had to in order to get back to that. He practiced every day for the next week or so, careful not to overwork himself too much.

He had started getting better, much better, actually, and now he no longer recoiled at the sight of the carved wooden bow resting on the table in his room.

Where had the company found his bow anyway? He had taken it into the action with him and lost it on the battlefield.

He shook the thought from his head, listening as a major explained to him what Fili had been teaching them. He had to admit, his brother was much better at diplomatic stuff than training. Of course, everyone had different tactics of fighting, and the army was still skilled, but there were the little things that Kili kept noticing and couldn't ignore.

For now, though, he was happy to just fire an arrow.

And that was all that mattered.


	7. Chapter 7 It's the Little Things

**And we're back! The rest of this book- in my opinion- is much better than the previous chapters. But let me know what you think! Not half as much hurt/ injury. BY the way, after writing this I rewatched the movie and realized that Erebor was actually emerald, gold, and grey, not quite like what I describe. I was too lazy to change the descriptions in the rest of the book to match that… This is a long time coming, and so far I have over twenty chapters written for this- probably closer to thirty. I hope you enjoy it!**

***Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters/ plotlines in 'The Hobbit,' this is purely for enjoyment purposes only.**

***Warning! There is mild pain/comfort in this "book." Tauriel, an elf in the movies- and Kili's love interest- is in this story as well. I have shipped these two in my story, however, there are no inappropriate scenes. If you are offended by either of these, I suggest you read another story instead.**

**Five Months Later...**

It's the Little Things

Kili held his breath. His brother and faithful friend, Fili, stood by his side. Turning to Erebor, Kili sighed. He stared at the great big doors, open wide and welcoming. A long blue carpet trimmed in gold ran down the halls, stopping at the entrance. The golden tassels glittered in the bright summer sun. The cobblestone path leading to the doors was smooth and large, and as Kili walked down it, he could feel each individual stone beneath his feet.

The halls inside the mountain were no less busy than the city of Dale, which was now nearly completely rebuilt to its former glory.

The floors in the great Kingdom Under the Mountain were of walnut color, and the walls were grey stone, just like the path outside. The ceiling overhead was at least fifty feet away, and great big chandeliers dangled from it, crystals flowing down the arms. The candles resting on the individual arms were lit, the fire reflecting in the white prism crystals.

Wherever the outside world could be seen, large arch-fixed windows exposed it, sending light spilling across the floors.

Torches were held in sconces that lined the walls in between great columns that stretched up to the arched ceiling. Stories of old had described precisely what to expect in the halls of Erebor, but they could never have prepared Kili for what he was seeing now.

He had, of course, been here for over six months, but he never could tire of the beauty in which this kingdom held. Nor could the people, for every time Kili wandered down the halls, he caught people gawking and pointing, exclaiming how incredibly lucky they were to live in a kingdom so glorious.

Lucky they were, and so was Kili. He had grown up in Ered Luin, and that made this kingdom all the more beautiful; for all he remembered of his childhood (which was a great deal) was small houses, cold nights, and going to bed hungry. But there was beauty in simplicity. They had no diplomatic problems to resolve, nor large castles to get lost in. The dwarves were happy with their lives in the Blue Mountains. Thorin had led them well there, and he promised to lead them well here too.

There was one problem with his promise, however; he was stuck in the great vault of gold all his time, not even leaving to eat. His condition was only worsening, and no one- not even Kili or Fili- knew what to do to help him.

He had not stolen a coin any longer after Bard had told him not to. He feared that Thorin had counted every piece of gold in that vault and he counted every day; he would notice it if even one coin had disappeared.

And now that the council kept a tally of the gold, and they counted weekly, there was no chance that Kili could steal any more to give to the people of Dale and Laketown.

Still, he went to the vault every afternoon just to see if he could sneak past Thorin- who had become quite a lot like Smaug the Terrible with all his guarding of the gold.

Today was no different than the last hundred. Thorin was there, leaning against a column, scratching his chin, and watching over his precious gold. Kili played it as he had every time before; he was just admiring the wealth.

As he waded through the coins, he caught Thorin's astonished stare. He wasn't surprised to see his nephew, of course, but the gold, though he had seen it every day of his life since the battle last winter.

"It's a sight, isn't it?" Kili asked, feigning awe.

Thorin, not taking his eyes off the gold as if it would disappear right under his nose, replied, "Yes, it is," and then the two were silent. Kili thought over sentences to say, but his words failed him. He no longer liked seeing his uncle so happy. For once, he would like to see him sad or brooding.

Kili was growing tired of this version of Thorin. This was no King Under the Mountain. This was a dwarf swamped by greed and love for his gold, not for his people.

Kili decided to use formalities for this occasion, if it was an occasion at all. "Your Majesty?" he began. Thorin managed to tear his gaze away for a split second to glance at Kili expectantly. "Perhaps you would like to wander the halls with me?" In truth, Kili didn't want his uncle anywhere near him, or him anywhere near his uncle, but if it was the only way to pry Thorin away from his gold, he would do it.

Whether it was good luck or bad, Thorin turned back to the gold. "I'd rather stay here with my gold." He didn't speak rudely, but the word 'rather' stung Kili.

"Of course," Kili managed a bow in the mounds of gold. "How inconsiderate of me." He backed out of the gold room, managing to scoop up a handful of the gold on his way out. He had someone to pay a visit to.

Mounting a horse, Kili rode into Dale. The city may have been repaired, but the people were not. They still grieved for their losses, and several still went to bed hungry despite a long day of hard labor.

Kili still had flashbacks and dreams of the battle, but he hadn't lost somebody he knew all that well, except, perhaps, a little bit of himself.

He lowered himself from his horse, shouldering a bag. He felt in his pocket to be sure it was still there. And there, beside the runestone, was a small little bag. He fiddled absentmindedly with the string keeping it closed.

There was a stand he had rode by several times; a woman and her two daughters worked there, and he wanted to pay them a visit. They were nice people, really, but they were thin and tired-looking, and Kili felt that there was something- anything- that he could do to help.

So, he tied his horse up to a nearby fence and weaved through the crowd, giving occasional nods of greetings to people though he knew them not. They, too, did not seem to recognize him, for he was in his traveler's gear and only wore concealed weapons. For this, he was grateful; he did not want to be stopped a hundred times.

He came to the stand. The same mother and daughters were there. The daughters looked even thinner, though they were impossibly skinny to begin with. The mother seemed to have shrunken, not just in weight, but in height as well. She seemed young, maybe mid-thirties in human years, but she stooped over the market stand as though she was several years older. Kili attributed this to the amount of work and lack of rest and proper care.

He knew these were a proud people, so he had already come up with a reasoning for the gold. "Bread. One loaf." He said it as straight-forward and as gruffly as he could.

The woman seemed to jump out of her skin. She waved a hand to one of her daughters, who scrambled to get the bread. The girl turned back to her mother, shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head. No more bread. Kili grunted, though, in reality, he was not frustrated.

"You're kidding." He growled. The woman opened her mouth to apologize, but a harsh glare from Kili made her shut her trap. How was he supposed to play this now? "What else?" He grumbled.

"I'm- I'm sorry?" The woman replied, not understanding quite what he meant.

"What else have you got?" Kili said, raising his voice. He felt bad when the woman flinched. He didn't enjoy this any more than she, but he had to keep the act up.

"I have fruit. A- and I have water." She took in Kili's rough look. He had been riding all day, and he hadn't been very clean, to begin with. Plus, he had wanted to seem like a traveler from afar- it would just add to the act.

"Water," Kili said. He didn't sound very decisive, maybe even a little thoughtful, so the woman did not move. "Water!" he said louder, letting a fist fall harshly onto the stand. The mother and daughters jerked back. The older girl grabbed the younger, hugging her to her chest.

The loud noise had attracted others' attention, and now, several heads were swiveled towards them. Inwardly, Kili cursed himself; he didn't want to sound mean or bossy, but, like he had told himself before, he had to sell the act. The woman grabbed a canteen of water, handing it to him. Kili took it, practically tearing it out of her small hands. She staggered back, holding her hands to her chest.

Kili examined the canteen, then twisted the top off with his teeth and chugged the whole thing in a matter of seconds. The woman, as if awaiting her pay, took a tentative step closer, holding out a shaky hand. "That- that will be t-two coins." She said, stuttering and stumbling on each word.

Kili fished out the little bag of gold, then dropped it on the stand. Without saying another word, he turned and left. He heard the woman call after him. "Sir, sir! I said two coins." Footsteps were approaching quickly, and as Kili made a move to mount his horse, he saw the woman push through the last of the crowd, holding the bag out to him.

Kili batted a dismissive hand at her. "Keep it," he told her, climbing onto the back of his horse. "I don't need it."

The woman softened a little at this, maybe even a smile played at the corners of her lips. A smile that was well overdue, Kili assumed. He wanted to smile, too, but he forced himself to keep it hidden. "Please, sir, it is frowned upon to take this much for offering so little."

"Then let them frown," Kili said, still using his rough voice. "What does it matter?" He turned his horse around, then galloped off without waiting to hear the woman's reply.

"There's a problem." One of the councilmen said. There better be, or else Kili was going to have a talking to whoever called him from his training with the army. Fili was there, too, though he looked quite relaxed and surprisingly pleased to be sitting at the table.

"We have counted the gold again," Kili's heartbeat quickened at this. "And we have discerned that twelve gold coins are missing." Twelve? What should that matter? It was just twelve coins.

But twelve plus twelve, plus another twelve, could slowly add up.

"We have a thief among us." A series of caterwauling screeches and protests quickly erupted in the room.

"Could it not have been King Thorin himself?" Kili muttered quietly. He did not expect that the whole table would have heard him. But now, all eyes were laid upon him, blinking disbelievingly. "What? He is the only one other than the counters and talliers that go in there."

"You would accuse our King, your uncle, of stealing the very gold he nearly died for last winter?" A clerk gaped, eyes wide and astonished.

"We all nearly died for that gold; we should suspect and expect as much from King Thorin as we do the rest of us," Kili stated. "It is not fair to rule him off the table just because he is our King."

"Why are you so quick to judge, then?" Another clerk.

This riled Kili, and he rose from his seat, voice loud and clear. "Are you accusing me of stealing our own gold?! I am right here, you see?"

"Yes, and King Thorin is not. Which means that you are here to defend yourself, while we would be throwing accusations behind King Thorin's back!" The clerk rose, too, face red with anger.

"True, he is not here! You know why?" Kili leaned forward, glaring at the clerk despite the gentle hand on his shoulder. His brother, Fili, was trying to calm him down. It would not work this time, though. "Because he is sick with gold and obsessed with it! My uncle is not able to join us because he is more concerned for his gold than he is for his kingdom!" Kili roared. He could not keep himself under control any longer. It was tiring to see Thorin so obsessed with an inanimate object when his kingdom needed him.

The clerk silenced almost immediately, and it took more than a few awkward grunts from around the table before the conversation continued. The whole time, the clerk did not take his eye off Kili and Kili didn't take his eye off the clerk.

After the meeting came to an end, most of the councilmen had left, giving Kili time to brood over his previous outburst. The clerk from before still sat before him, and Fili was next to him, but other than that, there was no one there.

The clerk, waiting for Kili to make a move, and Fili, waiting too. Kili didn't, however. He stayed as still as a stick, hand in a tight fist in front of his mouth. His eyes were narrowed, as they always were when he was deep in thought, and his other hand clenched and unclenched.

Then, suddenly, Kili pushed himself out of his seat. He turned abruptly, cloak swishing behind him, and strode out the door. He ripped his cloak off, folding it into an angry bundle. He threw it onto the ground outside in full-on anger.

When training the army, he was much pickier and harsher than he had been earlier that day, and the soldiers seemed well aware of it. During one of their fifteen-minute breaks, Kili's assistant, and good friend, Skirfir, approached him.

"What is troubling you, my Prince... If I may be so bold to ask?"

Kili was about to snap an answer, but he stopped himself, taking a long breath. It wasn't Skirfir he was angry at. No, it was the clerk. "A meeting with the council didn't go so well." He said, sitting down on a crate and leaning against the outer stone wall of the mountain. A rocky overhang above cast long, looming shadows over them, sheltering them from the harsh sunlight.

Still, all of them were sweating and smelt as though they had just fought a war. A flash of the winter battle played in Kili's mind at that thought, muffling out Skirfir's words.

An orc pummeled him, tearing long gashes into Kili's skin. His arm had been rendered useless from the blow of a mace, and now all he had was his left one to block with.

"Prince Kili?" Kili jerked violently, startling Skirfir.

"Sorry," he said, cheeks flushing. "I got distracted."

"By...?" Skirfir asked slowly and cautiously.

"It was nothing." Shaking his head, Kili stood, rounding up the soldiers before Skirfir could ask again. The truth was, it wasn't 'nothing.' The images had been plaguing Kili's mind for half a year now, while others seemed to recover, at least a little, from the battle.

The rest of the day was spent training. Even Kili trained a little. He had, after all, only been using a bow for a few months since the 'accident,' as everyone called it (though it was a war wound), and a sword not much longer.

He still felt the odd and slightly painful twinge in his arm whenever he put to much weight or strain on it, such as when he held a drawn back bow for too long or slashed with a sword a little too much.

The night was no different. Even after the soldiers had left for their chambers, Kili stayed practicing his aim. Footsteps scuffed from behind him. "What are you doing out so late, brother?" Kili asked, not drawing his attention away from the target. He knew it was Fili. Who else would it be?

"I was about to ask you the same question." Fili knelt down beside him, staring at the target- if it deserved that name; so many arrows splintered the wood that the paint was almost completely chipped away and strips of wood were scattered all around the base of it.

"I'm practicing," Kili said shortly, releasing the arrow. It landed square in the middle, splitting another arrow in half.

"What for? You are the best archer in all of Erebor and beyond."

"Ah, but I am not the best archer I can be," Kili said pointedly, nocking another arrow. "Besides, what does that mean? There are not many archers here, Fili. Only Skirfir, me, and a select few."

"That's because a bow is not the first choice of weapon for a dwarf. You know that. But it does not mean-"

"I am less dwarvish for it- I know. You've told me a million times. Still, the others look at me as a lesser you. The council trusts me less because I favor an elvish weapon. They think it makes me more of an elf than a dwarf. That," Kili glanced over at his brother, then, without looking, released the arrow. It still hit its mark. "my brother, will never change."


	8. Chapter 8 Tried and True

**Hi! Here I am gracing you with another chapter. Skirfir is a dwarf name from Norse mythology, like most of the company. Fanfiction had been playing with my author notes (repeating things/ deleting things) and I'm not sure why. Deleting I could sort of understand, but I don't understand the repetition because the documents don't have any repeating sentences before I publish them. Oh well, I guess you'll just have to bear with me.**

***Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters/ plotlines in 'The Hobbit,' this is purely for enjoyment purposes only.**

***Warning! There is mild torture in this "book." Tauriel, an elf in the movies- and Kili's love interest- is in this story as well. I have shipped these two in my story, however, it gets as far as possibly kissing. If you are offended by either of these, I suggest you read another story instead.**

**Now, with that out of the way, we shall delve deep into the wonderful- ha, not really- story.**

Tried and True

Fili sighed, waiting for the council to shut themselves up for the fiftieth time that day. There had been several meetings called for, most of which did not include his brother, because of the gold stealing. Fili knew that Kili would never steal something he knew meant so much to the Kingdom, but still, every time he talked about it with him, Kili would grow wary, putting up big stone walls around him so that Fili could not see in.

Today, Kili had not been invited, but that calmed the council no less. It seemed as though everyone wanted to point fingers at someone, and Kili got blamed several times over. Fili tensed, his instinct was to just punch the clerk who had originally suggested the idea that Kili was the culprit, but he knew he had to keep his calm. How would it look if their crown prince decided to attack one of the clerks?

But that weasel couldn't do as much harm as he could foul, for all he was spreading were words and lies. Fili had an idea Kili knew about it, because still, a week after his little shouting match, Fili's brother seemed very distrustful of the clerk.

This made Fili want to knock some sense into him all the more. Still, he restrained himself, watching the clerk with a thoughtful eye so as not to attract attention. Not that he could, if he wanted to, for the council was still yelling at each other. If there was food at the table, Fili knew it would be thrown at the dwarves' faces. It was the way dwarves acted, and he couldn't change that; even the most civilized was not very proper, and that was because they were a dwarf. That would never change.

So, Fili made use of his head of the table, and he banged a fist on the mahogany. Silence fell over the table... finally, and Fili could speak. "We are not going to solve any of our problems by shouting at each other." He said firmly. A few dwarves had the decency to lower their gaze shamefully. "Now, let's go over one more time all the possible subjects- and do NOT mention my brother again!" His voice crescendoed as he spoke- starting out reasonable and then gaining the effect of yelling.

The meeting was over at last, and now, Fili sat at the table in his chambers. The fireplace was roaring with light, warming the whole room all the way to the vaulted ceiling.

A knock came at his partially cracked door, and when he opened it he saw Kili standing on the other side- fully dressed in traveler's gear and covered in muck. Fili stumbled back a little, not quite expecting what he saw. He waved his brother in, closing the door behind him before asking, "What in Mahal's name happened to you?"

Kili tugged him closer by the sleeve. "I went riding out to Dale. Oh, Fili, you are not going to believe what they're doing to those poor people."

"What? What are they doing?"

Kili paused, glancing up at him. Was that... guilt? "They're searching every inch of the town for that gold."

"Twelve coins? They're searching the whole town for just twelve coins?" Kili nodded. "Well, in case you think I ordered it, I didn't. It must've been the work of Thorin. He won't part with one, let alone twelve."

Kili wasn't looking to blame anyone though, if anything, he wanted to do the exact opposite- whatever that was. "I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't let me. Actually shoved me." That would explain the mud on his clothes, because, if Fili knew anything about his brother, it was that he ALWAYS fought back.

"Of course, they did." He muttered to himself. "Come on, let's go out there and stop them. I won't have them terrorizing the people of Dale over twelve coins." Kili followed gratefully out the doors and to the stables, where the two brothers mounted horses and rode off.

They made it to Dale three hours later, where the dwarves were still searching. The people of Dale were cowering outside their homes, watching with horrified eyes as the dwarves tore their things apart looking for their precious gold.

Fili gave Kili a nod of you-take-the-dwarves-out-next-door-I'll-handle-these. Kili nodded back, seeming to enjoy the thought of being able to beat up someone.

Fili grabbed the two searching the nearest house by the shoulders, and they spun around wildly. They lowered their fists when they recognized him, though Fili didn't know how because only the first hint of dawn was showing in through the window.

They left almost immediately, skulking out the door and to their horses. Why would they come to Dale, of all places? Did they think the traitor lied there?

Fili shook his bewildered head, heading out the door himself. By the time he and Kili rounded up the last of the dwarves, the sun was fully visible in the sky. Which Fili was grateful, for it allowed him to see exactly what dwarf Kili had decided to beat up.

They didn't look much better than Kili himself, but they weren't covered in mud, so it was easier to see just where Kili had punched and kicked him. Fili's brother on the other hand? Well, the thick muck had dried, caking to his clothes and face. He looked more wild animal that dwarf.

He didn't seem to notice or care though, for he mounted his horse without further delay, not even landing an eye on the dwarves he and Fili and found searching the houses.

Fili gave an apologetic nod to a family huddled on their doorstep, then rode horseback to Erebor. _Oh brother, what have you gotten yourself into?_

Kili stood out on the front balcony of Erebor, gazing out at the lands before him. From here, he could easily see the city of Dale, standing tall despite seeing more gore and heartache than Kili or anyone else could ever imagine.

Beside him stood Skirfir. The young apprentice archer leaned against the parapet next to Kili. He often enjoyed times like these. He liked a good laugh as the next dwarf, but companionable silence was always a nice alternative. Especially when that companion was one of the few sensible dwarves in the entire Kingdom.

Then the silence broke. "I heard you and Prince Fili went to Dale early this morning. May I ask why?" Skirfir ventured. Kili almost smiled at his curiosity.

"It appears that twelve gold coins are missing, and some of the council decided without Fili or my permission to go in search of it. Why they went straight for Dale, I do not know. I only found out because I was there too." He wasn't about to say why he was there though. He trusted Skirfir, but he couldn't know if someone else was listening. That was why he had refused to tell Fili, too.

That was what he told himself was the reason, anyway.

"I realize that I may be stepping out of bounds, so please excuse me, but may I ask what you were doing there?" Skirfir asked, completely ensnared by the beautiful landscape around them. They could see Dale from there, a strong city on a hill, still rising from ruins.

Kili's mind sped up with the act of trying to come up with an excuse other than 'I was the one who stole the gold.' "You know as well as anyone that we must maintain a positive relationship with the city of Dale... Especially after last night. I still don't understand why the dwarves would go straight there. In the end, they found nothing- and they had been searching for the better part of six hours."

Skirfir nodded, seeming a little dissatisfied with the response. Kili's heart thundered in his chest. Skirfir couldn't be catching onto him, could he? And if so, would one of Kili's closest friends really believe him of such a crime? No, he had not murdered anyone, or inflicted harm upon them, either, but stealing from the great Kingdom of Erebor was a high crime, and he would soon have a high price to pay when the time came.

A strong wind brushed by and Kili gave a shudder. Skirfir tossed him a glance, changing the topic. "It's already getting cooler again." He said.

Kili smiled, grateful for the topic switching. "It's only August," he huffed, shaking his head.

"Exactly. We have been here for nearly seven months. Still, I, for one, will never cease to be amazed by the sight." Kili nodded in agreement. "It is a fine Kingdom. You should be proud to be a direct descendant of it." Skirfir squinted down against the sun's glare to make out the individual shapes on the ground below.

The Kingdom was to be proud of, not the descendants. Thorin's obsession was something Kili never wanted to deal with. Still, he didn't say anything. It was best to leave Skirfir to think what he thought, so long as he didn't voice those opinions to the wrong people.


	9. Chapter 9 From the Ashes of the Flame

**Hello! This chapter is short, but also a bit big-brother-sticking-up-for-little-brother, which I quite enjoyed. I hope you like it, too! It also has some 'fiery' business, if you know what I mean.**

***Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters/ plotlines in 'The Hobbit,' this is purely for enjoyment purposes only.**

***Warning! There is mild torture in this "book." Tauriel, an elf in the movies- and Kili's love interest- is in this story as well. I have shipped these two in my story, however, there are no inappropriate scenes. If you are offended by either of these, I suggest you read another story instead.**

**Now, with that out of the way, we shall delve deep into the wonderful- ha, not really- story.**

From the Ashes of the Flame

"You what?!" Fili demanded, slamming his hands onto the table and standing abruptly.

"We believe that Prince Kili was the last one to be seen in the gold vault- other than King Thorin himself- before we realized the gold was stolen. He is the only other dwarf that could possibly be responsible for this." The clerk stated.

"Oh, and it couldn't have been one of the counters? They were in there, too!" Fili pointed out, infuriated that the council would suspect his brother for such a crime.

"Your Highness, the counters and talliers each deliver an oath never to go about taking their positions and using them to steal."

"But you would suspect Erebor's very own prince to?!" There was one thing Fili could be grateful for, and that was Kili not being there to hear this himself. He would've knocked each of the councilmen out cold in a matter of seconds.

Before the clerk could respond, the doors burst open, revealing the one person Fili did not want to see.

Kili.

He marched into the room with an icy glare. "Who did it?!" He ordered, voice louder than Fili had ever heard before. No one answered, too shocked to see their once quiet and easy-going Prince shouting demands. "Who?!"

"Who did what?" Fili asked, drawing his brother out of his anger for just a moment.

"Set Dale on fire!"

The whole forefront of the city was engrossed in flames. Plumes of smoke spiraled into the air, followed by the shrieks and screams of women and children. even after a good five hours, the flames did not wear away.

Kili rammed a door with his shoulder and it splintered, falling off its hinges from such a blow. Smoke poured out the house, the angry red and orange flames visible past Kili's slender frame. Just before he could dart in, Fili took hold of his cloak. It did nothing to stop him. The cape tore off his brother's shoulders as he disappeared into the smoke and flame.

"Kili!" But his shout was lost among the roaring fire.

Kili covered his mouth and nose with a sleeve, squinting to see through the billowing smoke and ash. He tripped over something soft underfoot, falling on his face inches away from tall, hungry flames. With a yelp of surprise, he twisted around to see what he fell over. A small curled up body was shivering despite the unmatchable heat. Through the warm haze, Kili could see two terrified eyes blinking back at him.

He scooped up the body, making his way to the door. Now that he was unable to cover his mouth and nose, he breathed in the smoke, smelling something else beneath it. Was that... burnt-? No, it could not be.

In his haste, Kili practically dumped the young girl on the doorstep, and after a few coughs, whirled back around and ran up the stairs to the second level of the house.

He was so busy looking for other survivors that he didn't notice he was walking through the flames until he felt it singe his lower leg. Hissing, he batted away the little fire on his pant leg, scanning the room for signs of movement.

And then he heard a small cry for help from one of the back rooms. He leaped over a collapsed table, desperate to get to the person in need of help.

His first reaction was to turn the doorknob, but it was searing, and he drew his hand back with a wince. Using his left hand- which was gloved- he twisted the door open a crack. He would've gone further, but something was jamming the door, preventing him from doing so.

Through the thick of the smoke, he could see a mom and a young girl no more than five human years. She was cradled in her mom's arms, a handkerchief pressed to her mouth so she could breathe.

Kili called out over the roaring flames, coughing as smoke entered his open mouth. "I need you... to pull this door open!" He called, trying to kick it with a boot. The woman made no movements. "Please! If you want out... if you want your daughter to live... you need to open this door!" The mention of her daughter seemed to spur her into action.

She set the young girl down, crawling to the door and keeping her head low. Kili should've thought about that- he would've been able to avoid a lot more smoke that way.

With the woman pulling on the door and Kili pushing, they managed to finally swing the door open. Kili stumbled into the room, nearly falling into the woman. She crawled back to her daughter, holding her in her arms. Kili glanced around the room. Two windows, two doors- one which they just broke the hinges of.

Then something loud crashed just behind him, blowing him over onto the burnt floor. A loud ringing erupted in his ears, his vision going black for a moment.

Kili jerked onto his back, scrambling away from the large column that had collapsed on his foot. He tugged his leg out from under the rubble, sending it crumbling all around him, blocking their escape.

Kili turned around, still laying on his back, propped up on an elbow, to face the woman. His stood up, stumbling as he put weight on his foot. He shook off the wood clinging to his clothes, making his way to the other door.

"Don't!" the woman shrieked as Kili reached out to grab the doorknob. He looked around at her, head tilted in confusion. "There's a fire on the other side of that door."

Kili drew his hands back immediately. The woman sighed, holding her daughter even closer. "There's nowhere else to go," she said, curling up in the corner of the room.

Kili's gaze landed on the windows. "There's one way," he whispered to himself. He elbowed the glass as hard as he could and it shattered around his feet.

"Jump," he wheezed. The woman squeezed her girl tighter, then Kili realized what she meant. She didn't want to send her little girl down there. It was a two-story drop, and she was a small five- or six-year-old girl. Kili pulled the mother to her feet. He took the girl from her. "You go first," he told her.

The mom hesitated, looking from her daughter, to Kili, to the window, and then back again. She closed her eyes briefly, then gave one small nod. She put a foot out the window, the swung the other one over. She hopped off with a little squeak.

Kili leaned over the windowsill, breathing in the fresh air. He clutched the young girl tighter, sitting on the edge and staring down at the ground. He had jumped from higher trees before, but he had never jumped with a kid in his arms and a fire racing after him. And the last time he had fallen from such a height, it ended very, very badly. He had almost lost his life.

He pushed himself off the edge, telling himself that this was a much shorter drop. The wind hit his face, but less than a second later it stopped. He stayed in that position, down on one knee, for a good few seconds. Until a gentle hand was laid on his shoulder.

Kili opened his stinging eyes. He ran an ash-covered sleeve across his eyes, trying to douse the burning feeling. He put a hand on Fili's, who was still clutching his shoulder.

Slowly, unsteadily, Kili got to his feet, gently setting the young girl down to join her mother, who was standing a few feet away. Kili's soot-covered face and clothes stunk of fire and his tunic clung to his skin. He still gasped for breath, trying to clear the smoke from his lungs.

"You shouldn't have gone in there," Fili said quietly. Kili shook his head, but he didn't have the energy to argue. They would leave the conversation at that for the time being.

"I can't believe you," Fili said, watching as a couple of healers fussed over Kili. "You really shouldn't have gone in that house. It could have collapsed."

"Part of it did collapse." Kili swatted at a nurse, cringing away from them as he spoke. "I was lucky the only thing caught in the rubble was my foot."

"Ah, so that's why you've been limping..." Fili sat down on the chest at the end of the bed. "Don't think you're getting out of this. You dashed right into that house without giving a care what would happen to you."

"I'm sorry? I-"

"Apology accepted."

"Why do I get punished? I wasn't the one that started the fire to begin with. Besides, I didn't hurt anybody."

"Except for yourself," Fili grumbled, standing up and pacing about the room. "I don't understand you sometimes, brother."

"You don't have to understand me..." Kili growled as the nurse took off his boot. "You just have to believe me when I say that someone started this fire... and it was not any human."

The nurse peeled off his soot-covered sock. Kili hissed in annoyance.

"It's not broken," the nurse stated. She grabbed a clean cloth and set to scrubbing the filth off Kili's face, despite many protests from the young archer.

"See, told you!" Kili said as the nurse drew back.

"So, he'll be okay?"

"It's not only his foot. I'm afraid he inhaled a lot of smoke from the fire. Eventually, though, he will be fine. But," the nurse started as Fili started to rise. "he should not exert himself too much for the next week. And then I advise not doing... well, not doing what he normally does."

"That's boring," Kili put in.

Even though Fili knew his brother wouldn't wait a week- because who would- he nodded. "I understand," He said, slapping Kili good-heartedly on the knee. "I'll make sure he's careful." The nurse gave a small smile and left. When she closed the door behind her, Fili sat down on the edge of the bed. "How do you know it was arson?"

"I found matches... already scratched and used. The hay outside the house was the first thing to go, then the fire spread inside." Kili explained, sitting upright.

"How do you know it was a dwarf who set the fire?" Fili knew his brother would have to explain it all again in court, but he wanted answers now, and he was going to get them.

"Because I found this." Kili pulled out a small tobacco pouch from his pocket. "It's dwarf-make, I know it is." He handed it to Fili, who examined it with curiosity. "It was just outside the house they burned down. There's no way it's a coincidence."

"But do you know that? I mean, do you really know?"

Kili sighed, staring down at his fiddling hands. Fili watched him. He hoped Kili was wrong. He couldn't imagine anyone who would go so far for a few pieces of gold. Except, maybe, Thorin. But he had been in the vault for as long as Fili could remember.

"You have to trust me, Fili. You hear? You just have to trust me."

But that was going to be hard to do.


	10. Chapter 10 Truth Be Told

**Hi! Back again! Here's another chapter for you! It's a bit… well, I'll just let you read it. Tell me what you think!**

***Disclaimer, I do not own any of the characters/ plotlines in 'The Hobbit,' this is purely for enjoyment purposes only.**

***Warning! There are mild pain/wound descriptions in this "book." Tauriel, an elf in the movies- and Kili's love interest- is in this story as well. I have shipped these two in my story, however, there are no inappropriate scenes. If you are offended by either of these, I suggest you read another story instead.**

**Now, with that out of the way, we shall delve deep into the wonderful- ha, not really- story.**

Truth be Told

Kili paced through the halls to the courtroom to discuss the previous fire in Dale, though he didn't know how much help talking about it would be. After all, he thought he had figured out all he could. But, maybe with the council by his side, he could find out some more information.

Not like those stubborn dwarves would expect each other of such a crime, but they had suspected Kili of stealing gold, so there was no telling who they would accuse this time around.

And accuse they did. Time after time, dwarf after dwarf. It didn't matter who or what they did, every name in existence was thrown onto the table. Some dwarf even suggested a kitchen maid because 'she always overcooks the stew.'

Then the more real and much more possible accusations came around.

"Prince Kili was in Dale when the fire started. Right now, he's our most likely suspect." Kili kept his mouth shut, not daring to respond to the remark. If he did, he may just sound guiltier. Not that he should have been guilty of it in the first place, his crime was stealing, not arson.

"Not only Prince Kili had been seen leaving for Dale yesterday." Fili pointed out. Kili gave him a grateful look. At least someone thought him innocent, even if it was only his brother.

Only his brother. His brother's thoughts of him used to be the only thing that mattered. Now? Now, he needed a whole kingdom to believe him or else he was going to be sent to the dungeons.

"Well, I have a question," a clerk piped up. "Where was Prince Kili's escort on his trip? Or for that matter, where has his bodyguard been for the past several days? Prince Kili has been alone without any alibi for weeks yet we suspect nothing from him-"

"You suspect everything of me!" Kili interjected, banging a fist on the table. "Each crime that has been committed, I have been the first to be blamed. Why is that?" A clerk opened his mouth to speak, but Kili wasn't finished. "Why is it that after the whole gold coin incident, your people have been obsessed with Dale? That part is what I don't understand."

A councilman cleared his throat. "Well," he began, "we actually noticed, after talking with King Thorin, that more than twelve gold coins have been stolen. In total, we've calculated over five-hundred gold coins that have been stolen. On each account, someone has reported you leaving in the direction of Dale... alone."

Kili growled quietly to himself, sitting back in his chair. He had nothing to say to that. Perhaps it was because the councilman was right, and Kili just didn't want to admit it.

The meeting didn't go well, and Kili was glad it was over. He knew why he hated the meetings so much; everyone tried to lay blame on him. Letting out an exhausted breath, Kili collapsed onto his bed, curling up and falling asleep almost immediately.

Dreams of battle and death plagued his mind during his sleep, but when he woke the only thing fighting was the flickering flame of the candle. A flame. As if they needed more fire right now. Kili leaned over and blew it out. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to look at fire again.

Stretching, he rolled out of bed, not bothering with a crutch today. He merely sprained an ankle. It was nothing compared to what he had been through before.

He slipped on his boots and some comfortable clothes. He wanted to go riding into Dale today. He wasn't taking any gold with him on this trip, he was just going to see if everyone was alright after the fire.

Two houses had been set ablaze that day, one of which he had entered, and the other which housed no people. It was a miracle no one had been hurt too badly. Mere smoke inhalation and a few splinters were the only injuries that had come from it.

But the uncomfortable twinge in Kili's scratched ankle as he mounted a horse wasn't what was bothering him. It was the fact that some dwarf had set innocents' houses on fire over some gold that they didn't steal.

Kili snapped the horse's reigns and it galloped off to Dale like a lightning bolt. He was there in under three hours, which had only happened when they had rushed from Erebor to douse the fire.

The houses set ablaze were still soot-covered and broken, the one Kili had been in getting out the worse. People had set to work on rebuilding the homes, but the mother and daughters were nowhere to be seen.

He only realized that he had put on his royal garb when a person waved a hand to get his attention. "Prince Kili!" Kili pulled his horse to a halt, stopping beside the man. "We saw you the day of the fire. You saved my wife and daughter. I will never be able to repay you."

Kili, despite still being mounted, put a hand on his heart and gave a bow. "Please, do not even think about repaying me. I did it as a friend. If we want relations between our two peoples, we cannot ask for things in return to what we give. I am happy to have helped you and your family... If I recall correctly, however, there were two young girls in the house. What of the other girl?"

The man lowered his gaze to his feet, swallowing loudly. He glanced back up at Kili with a sheen in his eyes. "She had taken in too much of the smoke. We love and miss her dearly, but we are choosing to focus on the positive. Because of you, I have a healthy wife and daughter. Because of you, I can come home knowing that they will be there waiting for me."

Kili smiled sadly, glancing behind him at the house. It was in no suitable way to house people. Surely the man could not have his family living there. As if reading his thoughts, the human spoke.

"Some relatives have welcomed us into their home to stay while ours is being rebuilt." He gave Kili a thankful bow of his head, then left to join the others clear rubble from the houses.

Kili's eyes stung, though it was not from any smoke, for that had disappeared into the sky long before. He had a chance to save a mom and two girls, yet he only managed to save the woman and a daughter. He had failed the other one because he had taken too long to get to her.

But the father was grateful, and for that Kili was happy. He spurred his horse onward, back to Erebor. He had no more business here. Then, as he crested the ridge just outside town, he caught sight of a familiar face in the woods. Several other figures surrounded her, all watching Kili with great curiosity.

It couldn't be... Tauriel? Kili guided his horse over to her at a fast trot, barely noticing that the other elves around her raised their bows. Tauriel put a hand on one of the elves' shoulders and they lowered their weapon as did the rest of them.

Kili slid off his saddle, acutely aware that Legolas was standing just beside Tauriel. He approached the elves slowly, trying to seem as unthreatening as possible.

He opened his mouth, then found he lacked the words he so desperately wanted to say. Tauriel smiled in understanding, green-blue eyes glittering as the sun's rays hit them.

"What are you doing so close to Dale?" she asked, trying to keep her appearance in front of the others.

"There was a fire here the other day. I just came to see if everyone was on the mend. We fear it was one of the dwarves who caused it. What brings you here?"

Legolas got an answer out before Tauriel could so much as open her mouth. "Trade," he explained. "We find that men are much more reasonable negotiators than dwarves."

Kili's hand twitched, desperate to get to the dagger he had in his belt. But he put his boot in his horse's stirrup, speaking as he did so. "Well," he clutched the horn of the saddle and hauled himself up onto it. "Doesn't look like trade went so well." He nodded towards the two horse's the elves had. Neither of them bore any packs, nor did the elves.

With a small wink directed to Tauriel, Kili turned around, trotting back to Erebor.

"_Arion, alvorn mei_." Tauriel said to Legolas.

"_Daf dag cadhad_?" Legolas asked, resulting in a laugh from Tauriel.

"_Braig cag_," she responded.

"Prince Kili," Skirfir called out, jogging up to greet Kili as he closed the gate to his horse's stall. "I can hardly keep up with you," he said.

"Why would you need to?" Kili said, heading inside and leading him through the halls of Erebor.

"Because," Skirfir paused as if he couldn't believe what he was about to say. "Because I've been assigned to guard you... twenty-four-seven."

"What?!" Kili whipped around to look the young archer in the eye. Several heads turned to watch them, overly curious. Skirfir nodded. "Did the council assign you this job?"

"Yes, but-"

"Of course! They can't trust me, can they? They think that if I have a guard with me all-time, then the gold would be safe. Next thing you know, I won't be allowed to step a foot into that hallway." Kili gestured to the vault door, which was heavily guarded and secured.

"Prince Kili...?"

"What?"

"Are we just going to stand in this hallway or do you have somewhere you need to be?"

"Oh, right. The courtroom." He waved for Skirfir to follow. Not that he needed to. After all, the young dwarf was going to be with Kili 24/7 now. The doors were open when he got to them, and the whole council was already there.

Fili nodded to an empty seat. Hesitantly, Kili took it, leaving Skirfir to stand by his side as Dwalin stood by Fili's. "What's this about?"

"That's what we're here to talk about." Fili waved a hand to one of the councilmen.

"Prince Kili," they began, clearing their throat to get everyone's attention. "You have been reported absent five times in the last two weeks. Two of these reports have been directly correlated to incidents in Dale. The first time was when twelve gold pieces were stolen. The second-"

"We don't know that Dale has the gold," Kili intercepted.

"_The second_," the councilman continued, "was when the fire was reported. In neither of these incidents have you reported an alibi to confirm yourself innocent. I don't know about the rest of you, but I find this to be suspicious activity."

"It was two times! Two times out of five. That's less than half," Kili explained. He raised a challenging eye to the council, daring them to argue with him. No one did.

"Is it not possible it was a coincidence?" Fili offered. A few clerks shrugged, others murmured incoherently. In the end, though, the council seemed to come to an agreement. Kili was just as guilty as everyone else until proven otherwise.

Arion, alvorn mei: My Prince, let us go (Prince, us not stay)

Daf dag cadhad: Permission to kill the dwarf (Permission slay dwarf)

Braig cag: Fierce joke


End file.
